Bangladesh seal T20 series with dominant win over Ireland

Bangladesh wrapped up the three-match T20 series in commanding fashion on Tuesday, cruising to an eight-wicket victory over Ireland at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram.

The emphatic 2-1 win sealed the series for the Tigers, showcasing their dominance with both bat and ball.

Chasing Ireland’s 117-run total, Bangladesh were steady and clinical. Tanzid Hasan Tamim led from the front with a brilliant unbeaten 55 off 36 balls, guiding the Tigers to victory with 22 balls to spare.

His innings featured four fours and three sixes, and during the 11th over he reached the milestone of 50 career sixes with a powerful hit off Gareth Delany. His composed knock earned him the Player of the Match award.

Bangladesh lost their first wicket when Saif Hassan departed for 19. Attempting to hit Craig Young over mid-on, he mistimed the shot, and Mark Adair completed a comfortable catch running backward.

Litton Das (7 off 6) soon followed, falling to part-time bowler Harry Tector after picking out the deep midwicket fielder with a mistimed sweep.

Despite the two quick wickets, Bangladesh remained firmly in control as Parvez Hossain Emon provided solid support. He remained unbeaten on 33 off 26 balls, striking timely boundaries and rotating the strike effectively. Together, Tanzid and Emon ensured there were no further hiccups and sealed the victory with ease.

Earlier, Ireland made a bright start after opting to bat first. They reached 50 for 1 inside the first five overs, with Tim Tector contributing a brisk 17 off 10 before being bowled by a clever slower ball from Shoriful Islam. But their momentum was short-lived.

Harry Tector’s dismissal for 5 will be remembered as one of the most unusual in recent times. Having defended a delivery from Mustafizur Rahman, Tector watched in disbelief as the ball rolled agonisingly back onto the stumps while he unsuccessfully tried to kick it away. His unfortunate exit triggered a collapse.

Lorcan Tucker was trapped lbw for 1 by Sheikh Mahedi Hasan after a successful DRS review. Curtis Campher (9 off 16) was bowled out by another wrong-un from Rishad.

Ireland’s skipper Paul Stirling held the innings together with a determined 38 off 27 balls before falling to a well-disguised googly from Rishad Hossain. After his dismissal, the visitors crumbled under pressure at 73 for 5.

Gareth Delany (10 off 12) top-edged a slog sweep to backward point. George Dockrell (19 off 23) was caught at long-on by Tanzid after mistiming a slower ball from Shoriful.

The tail offered little resistance as Mustafizur Rahman ran through the lower order. He dismissed Mark Adair (8 off 9) with a mistimed shot to long-on and then removed Matthew Humphreys (1 off 2) with a looping catch.

In the final over, Mohammad Saifuddin cleaned up Ben White (5 off 6) after Tanzid took his fifth catch of the match — the highest ever by a Bangladeshi fielder in a T20I innings.

Ireland were eventually bowled out for 117 in 19.5 overs. Every Bangladesh bowler contributed, but the standout performer across the last two matches was Sheikh Mahedi Hasan. Having taken four wickets in two games while maintaining tight economy rates (3 for 25 and 1 for 24), he was named the Player of the Series.

With dominant bowling, sharp fielding, and disciplined batting, Bangladesh capped off the series in style. The win not only secured the series but also highlighted the squad’s depth and growing confidence heading into the next year’s T20 World Cup.