After winning the one-day series by 2-0 against Ireland, Bangladesh also started the T20 series with a win. Shakib Al Hasan's team won by 22 runs in the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-affected Monday match. Now both teams are ready for the second encounter on March 29 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 2023 BAN vs IRE 2nd T20 will start at 2 PM.
BAN vs IRE 2nd T20I 2023: Match Preview
Ireland could not fight well in the ODI series. And it is assumed that we will also see the same outcome in the T20 series. Bangladesh may whitewash the Irish by playing organized cricket. The first match’s result also indicates the same.
The Irish were defeated by 22 runs in the first T20 of the series on Monday by the DLS method. After losing the toss and batting first, Bangladesh scored 207 runs for 5 wickets in 19.2 overs. Then the game was stopped due to rain. After more than two hours, Ireland got a changed target of 104 runs in 8 overs. But they lost 5 wickets and could not score more than 81 runs.
Read More: Rain washes out 2nd ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka
Bangladesh's two openers, Litton Das and Rony Talukdar, started in an aggressive mood. Their first wicket score was 91 runs in 7.1 overs. Litton scored 47 runs off 23 balls and hit 4 boundaries and 3 sixes. Rony scored 67 runs off 38 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (14 off 13 balls), who came down to bat at number three, did not hit a good score. Shamim Hossain, who came down at number four, scored 30 runs off 20 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Captain Shakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz remained unbeaten in the end. Shakib scored 20 runs off 13 balls with 3 fours.
On the other hand, Ireland’s equation was simplified with the Duckworth-Lewis method. The Irish started aggressively chasing runs.
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The Bangladeshi pacers proved too strong for Ireland, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud delivering excellent bowling. Taskin's career-best performance helped Bangladesh secure an impressive victory in a rain-affected match. Taskin Ahmed took 4 wickets with only 16 runs with the ball, which is his career’s best bowling in T20. His previous record was 4 wickets for 25 runs. Hasan Mahmud took the remaining wicket.
However, Ireland got a good batting condition due to rain, but they failed. Hopefully, they will try to come back to the series in the second match. Bangladesh, on the other hand, should be in a cheerful mood as they are one victory away from winning the series.
Pitch Report and Weather
The pitch in Chittagong for the first game of the series was an outstanding one, and it is expected to stay the same for the second match on Wednesday. Batsmen should have no trouble getting the ball off the square. According to the weather forecast, it looks like a pleasant day for the players and fans, with no chance of rain and temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels are expected to be in the 60s.
Read More: Bangladesh vs Ireland: Taskin takes four as Tigers win rain-hit T20 opener
Probable XIs in the 2023 Bangladesh vs Ireland 2nd T20I
Probable Bangladesh Squad
Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
Probable Ireland Squad
Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Graham Hume, Benjamin White.
Changes in the Team
There are no changes for the Bangladesh team, and it is expected that the tigers will start the match with the same squad. However, the day before the start of the T20 series, there has been a change in the Irish camp. Regular captain Andrew Balbirnie has been rested. Paul Stirling will lead the three-match T20 series against Bangladesh starting. Lorcan Tucker will serve as a vice caption. Leadership is nothing new for Sterling. After becoming vice-captain in 2019, he has captained six T20Is for Ireland so far.
Read More: Bangladesh’s ODI Series Win Against Ireland: Records, best performances, milestones achieved
Key Players to Watch in BAN vs IRE 2nd T20I
Bangladeshi Players to Watch
Rony Talukdar will be on the watch list due to his incredible innings. He got his first fifty in his international career in the first T20 match of the series against Ireland at Zahoor Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Monday. Rony returned to the dressing room with explosive innings of 67 runs off 38 balls. His aggressive batting style helped Bangladesh score 81 runs without a wicket in 6 overs, which is the Bangladesh team's powerplay record.
In the bowling section, Taskin Ahmed has been very consistent, and his pace action certainly helped Bangladesh to stop Ireland. Coming in the fourth over of the innings, this pacer took 3 wickets and put Bangladesh in a strong position in the match. Taskin bowled two batters, including skipper Starling and one got caught out. So, the Irish will surely play Taskin’s ball carefully in the next game.
Irish Players to Watch
The Irish got off to a great start in the first match, and Paul Stirling started it. Stirling face the first ball of the innings and hit Nasum Ahmed down the ground a four. Again, he swept two more fours in this over. He scored 17 runs from 8 balls. This aggressive batter can be a headache for Bangladesh.
Read More: Analysis of Bangladesh T20 Squad Against Ireland
Craig Young was the only blower to take 2 wickets in the first match. So, he might put more effort into the second match. Overall, he has 57 T20 wickets in 54 matches.
Final Words
The Irish are far behind Bangladesh in terms of strength. That gap is expected to increase further at Chittagong in the second BAN vs IRE T20I. However, this Bangladesh had no plan of winning by making a spin stage in Mirpur, as the series is being played at Chittagong's batting support wicket. And we have seen 200+ scores in the last match. So, if Bangladesh bats first in the next match, we may see another big score.