Bangladesh is going through a busy schedule in international cricket this year. The tour to Ireland in May is the last series of the ODI Super League cycle. The tour was supposed to take place in 2020. However, it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic situation. Bangladesh will fly to play the ODI away series against Ireland in the upcoming May month. However, the Irish will host the series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford of England, instead of hosting in their own field. Let’s explore some details of Ireland vs Bangladesh ODI series 2023.

Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023 Schedule

The first ODI will be held on May 9 at Chelmsford. The second ODI might be a day-night match on May 12 at the same venue. The third and final match, scheduled on May 14 will again be played in daylight. 

The Bangladesh team will also play a warm-up match against Ireland in Cambridge on May 5 before the three-match ODI series. 

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Table: Schedule, and venue of IRE vs BAN ODI series 2023

Why does Ireland Choose England as A Venue to Host Bangladesh?

This series against Bangladesh is very important for Ireland for the 2023 World Cup. If the Ireland cricket team can beat Bangladesh by 3-0, then they will get a chance to play the ODI World Cup 2023 directly. Otherwise, they will have to win the qualifier against Zimbabwe to participate in the World Cup. 

And since it’s the rainy season in Ireland, they don’t want the weather to interrupt the game. According to the Cricinfo report, there is a high risk of rain in Ireland in May, and the “English Summer” has been renowned for rainless seasons for ages. That’s why Ireland wants to play in England so that no games get spoiled due to rain. Besides, the Ireland team may believe that matches played in England are more likely to get good results for them.

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Ireland is in the 11th position in the Super League with 68 points from 21 matches. Sri Lanka is 10th with 81 points in 24 matches, South Africa is 9th with 98 points in 21 matches, and West Indies is eighth with 88 points in 24 matches. However, West Indies have no more matches left in the Super League.

South Africa had 79 points at the end of the England series recently. But in the last ODI, they deducted a point due to their slow-over rate. It opens the door to new possibilities for Ireland. 

According to the calculation, if Ireland beats Bangladesh 3-0, they will also have 98 points. Then the team that will be ahead in run rate will get the opportunity to play the World Cup directly. Currently, South Africa (-0.077) is ahead of Ireland (-0.382) in run rate. So, Ireland will surely try their best to fulfill their plan.

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Ireland vs Bangladesh Head-to-Head Records in ODI

After finishing the recent ODI series, Bangladesh and Ireland faced 14 times in total. So far, Bangladesh has won 9 matches, and Ireland has won two matches. Ireland’s last win was in 2010, while Bangladesh’s last win was last month in Sylhet. Out of these 14 matches, two matches had no results. 

So, in terms of head-to-head record in ODIs, Bangladesh has a dominant 9-2 lead against Ireland. However, Ireland emerged victorious in their first-ever encounter during the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Final Words

The upcoming Bangladesh tour of Ireland will be a very important series for Ireland as a 3-0 win may lead them to play the World Cup 2023 directly. The Bangladeshis living in the UK will get a chance to watch Bangladesh’s match live on the field after a long time. Since 2010, Bangladesh has not played any cricket matches in England except for ICC tournaments.

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