Bangladesh aced a 320-run chase against Ireland in the second ODI in Chelmsford, winning with three balls to spare in dramatic circumstances. Veteran Mushfiqur Rahim kept his cool in the death overs, shepherding the last part of the chase with the tail. With four runs required off four balls, Mushfiqur played a double-handed scoop shot that eventually ran to the deep third boundary. Mark Adair bowled a no-ball off the previous ball, leaving him to try to contain the rampant Bangladeshis off a free-hit.
In front of a 4,000 partisan fan, Najmul Hossain Shanto's sublime hundred set up the "visitors" at the Cloud County Ground. He made 117 off 93 balls with a dozen fours and three sixes, raising the team from a difficult start, adding 61 with Shakib Al Hasan and 131 with Towhid Hridoy, who made an important 68.
But the match went down to Mushfiqur needing to bat with Bangladesh's long tail, particularly when Mehidy Hasan Miraz got out in the 40th over. Taijul Islam batted manfully at one end, but there were two hairy moments. Mushfiqur was nearly run out in the 42nd over when George Dockrell broke the stumps a split second after he had reached the non-striker's end. A ball later, a Taijul edge smashed into Paul Stirling's right cheek, counting as a dropped catch.
Taijul fell lbw to Josh Little in the penultimate over, bringing Shoriful Islam to the crease. To everyone's surprise, he plonked Little down the ground for a boundary, before Mushfiqur carefully managed to keep the strike in the last over. Adair bowled two fantastic full balls, before a full toss that was caught on the deep square-leg boundary. But Mushfiqur got the no-ball as the ball was over his waist, before nailing the free hit with a paddle scoop.
Bangladesh got off to a poor start when captain Tamim Iqbal chipped Adair to square leg in the fourth over. Litton Das, after hitting two fours and a six, edged Graham Hume to leave the side on 40 for 2 in the tenth over.
Shanto went after Hume with a four and a big six over long-on, before Shakib struck Andy McBrine for three fours in a row in the following over. It looked like a partnership that could salvage things for Bangladesh, but Curtis Campher nipped it in the bud, Shakib chipping him to point in the 17th over.
After Shanto reached his fifty in the 20th over, he pulled Little for two consecutive fours, before lifting him down the ground for his second six in Little's next over.
At the other end, Hridoy was quietly doing his job. He was mostly feeding Shanto the strike by working the ball around with plenty of back-foot punches and dabs through the leg side. Soon though, Hridoy picked up two sixes, lashing Adair over midwicket first, and then flicking Hume over the same region. He repeated the dose in Hume's next over, but after Shanto reached his century in the 34th over, Hridoy fell trying to pull Dockrell in the same over. His 68 came off 58 balls, including five fours and three sixes.
Shanto got out next ball after striking Campher for a brutal straight six. Dockrell removed Mehidy Hasan Miraz with an lbw decision that was marginal, going on the umpire's call upon review. But Mushfiqur held his nerve in the big chase, winning the game in some style.
The start had felt like ages ago. The match was delayed by two hours and 15 minutes due to rain, but Ireland posted 319 for 6 in their 45 overs. Harry Tector made a superb 140 off 113 balls with a team record ten sixes and seven fours. Dockrell supported him brilliantly with an unbeaten 74.
Hasan Mahmud initially vindicated Tamim's decision to bowl first, as he removed both Ireland openers Paul Stirling and Stephen Doheny early on. Stirling was caught behind off an inside edge in the first over before Doheny gave Mehidy a catch at point.
Coming to bat at No. 4, Tector added 98 runs for the third wicket with captain Andrew Balbirnie, himself experiencing a dip in form. Tector latched on to the short balls quite well, lofting Shoriful for his first six in the 12th over. But it was the three sixes in a Taijul over that properly launched Tector's innings.
After Balbirnie made 42, Lorcan Tucker and Campher also fell cheaply. But Tector remained his belligerent self, aided by a marauding Dockrell. After Tector struck his sixth six in the 28th over, Dockrell smashed Shakib over his head, before pasting Shoriful for three more in the 38th over - twice straight and once over cover.
Tector added four more sixes, breaking the Ireland record in the process. His ten sixes is an Ireland record, bettering Balbirnie's eight sixes against Afghanistan in 2019. Ireland finished on 16 sixes in the innings, a team record too.
Tector fell for 140 in the 42nd over when Ebadot Hossain knocked back his stumps, but by then most of the damage was done. He and Dockrell added the fastest century stand for an Ireland pair in ODIs. Dockrell struck a few more blows to take his score to 74 not out, while Adair scooped in an eight-ball unbeaten 20.
Only Mahmud stood out with his accuracy among the Bangladesh bowlers. Shoriful went for 83 in his nine over, although he took two wickets. Taijul also got hammered properly, while Shakib, mostly tight, went wicketless against Ireland for a change. Bangladesh's fielding was ragged at times, with Tamim dropping Tector on 23, and Shakib shelling a simple chance at cover from Dockrell on 59.
Source: ESPNcricinfo