Ireland Tri-Nation Series 2019, Match 3: Ireland vs Bangladesh, Preview - Hosts seek a win against Tigers to bow out with pride

Bangladesh have already confirmed their place in the final with Windies.

Published - 14 May 2019, 20:48 IST | Updated - 14 May 2019, 20:48 IST

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In a game that offers barely anything to both sides, Ireland and Bangladesh will still be fighting hard for different reasons. Bangladesh cannot lose their winning momentum with the World Cup around the corner and the Irish are eager to get something out of the series apart from the one point they received due to a match getting abandoned.

The first two games of the series were played at this venue where we saw John Campbell and Shai Hope murder the hosts’ bowling attack. We might witness some more high-scoring exploits on Wednesday with both sides having enough attacking venom in them.

Bangladesh have already confirmed their place in the final with Windies. They defeated the men from the Caribbean twice this series, a run which will give them a major boost before leaving to England. This is one great opportunity for the Tigers to lay hands on a trophy before fighting for the biggest prize in world cricket.

Playing Combinations

Ireland

Andy McBrine might be coming in place of the very expensive George Dockrell in this encounter. Their bowling attack has two very experienced campaigners in Boyd Rankin and Tim Murtagh, who haven’t been at their best. Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie and Kevin O’Brien are the only men in their lineup getting runs consistently in the last few months and the fans will once again bank on them to get a respectable total.

Predicted XI

Probable XI

Paul Stirling, James McCollum, Andrew Balbirnie, William Porterfield (C), Kevin O’Brien, Mark Adair, Gary Wilson (WK), George Dockrell/Andy McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Joshua Little, Boyd Rankin

Bangladesh

Taskin Ahmed might get a game to replace the unimpressive Abu Jayed. The game holds lesser relevance to both sides and we might see some unexpected changes. Mustafizur Rahman and Mushfiqur Rahim got into form in their respective fields, much to the delight of their skipper. Their top three are looking solid as well, making the Tigers pretty formidable to go and win this game, and also the final.

Predicted XI

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Abu Jayed/Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman/Rubel Hossain

Focus will be on

Andrew Balbirnie (Ireland)

One of the most underrated cricketers in the Irish batting order, Andrew Balbirnie played a sensational knock against the Windies, only to see his side give away a 327-run target. He played some exquisite shots and will be riding high on confidence for this game. It will be a huge challenge to tackle the Irish spinners, but he has the experience to get some valuable runs off them.

Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh)

Every team needs a captain who can lead by example from the front and Bangladesh have been very lucky to have someone like Mashrafe Mortaza. The veteran fast bowler picked up three wickets in the last match against Windies, which includes the two big wickets of the explosive openers. He will have a crucial role to play in England and will be desperate to finish off this series on a high.