Israel said Sunday it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials said new Israeli airstrikes killed over 30 people including several children. The decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.” In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced, along with Norway, Spain and Slovenia, it would recognize a Palestinian state. The Irish cabinet last week decided to formally intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies it. “We are concerned that a very narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide leads to a culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized,” Ireland’s deputy premier and foreign affairs minister, Micheal Martin, said in a statement. Germany warns Assad supporters in Syria against trying to flee there Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar's statement on the embassy closure said that “Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel.” Ahead of Israel's announcement, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris had called the decision to close the embassy “deeply regrettable.” He added on X: “I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law.”   Israeli strikes hit Gaza Israeli forces continued Sunday to pound largely isolated northern Gaza, as the Palestinian death toll in the war approached 45,000. One airstrike hit the Khalil Aweida school in the town of Beit Hanoun and killed at least 15 people, according to nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital where casualties were taken. The dead included two parents and their daughter and a father and his son, the hospital said. In Gaza City, at least 17 people including six women and five children were killed in three airstrikes that hit houses sheltering displaced people, according to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Israel's military in a statement said it struck a “terrorist cell” in Gaza City and a “terrorist meeting point” in the Beit Hanoun area. Another Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian journalist working for Al Jazeera, Ahmed al-Lawh, in central Gaza, a hospital and the Qatari-based TV station said. The strike hit a point for Gaza’s civil defense agency in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, Al-Awda Hospital said. The civil defense is the main rescue agency in Gaza and operates under the Hamas-run government. The war in Gaza began after Hamas and other militants from Gaza stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking well over 200 hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed almost 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry’s count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but it says over half of the dead have been women and children.

Former champions Bangladesh will play their 2nd Group A match of the 16-team ICC U-19 Men's Cricket World Cup'24 against Ireland on Monday (January 22) at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Bangladesh, the champions of 2020, made a frustrating start in the global Youth Cricket, losing to defending champions India by a huge 84-run in their first match at Bloemfontein in South Africa Saturday night despite a five-wicket by pacer Maruf Mridha. ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup: Bangladesh suffer a huge  84- run defeat against holders India In another Group A match on Saturday, Ireland made a good start beating Unites States by seven wickets at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa. However, left-arm spinner cum captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby, who led the Bangladesh team to win the first-ever U-19  Asia Cup crown very recently, will lead the Bangladesh team against Ireland on Monday to revive their proud and glory. BPL 2024: Nahid, Faheeim shine as Khulna Tigers Beat Chattogram Challengers After the first round matches, Ireland and India dominated the four-team Group A securing two points each with a run rate of +2.674 and +1.680 respectively. Bangladesh remained at the 3rd slot in the group by virtue of a run rate (-1.680) while United States remained at the bottom with a run rate  (2.680),  without earning any point. Shakib Heads to Singapore for Eye Treatment, Further BPL Participation in Jeopardy In the remaining Group A match,  Bangladesh will play United States on January 26, also at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

In a stunning show of unity, parents in a town in Ireland have banded together to jointly adopt a no-smartphone code for their children until secondary school. Parents’ associations across the Irish town of Greystones have adopted the no-smartphone code for their children, the Guardian reports. “If everyone does it across the board, you don’t feel like you’re the odd one out. It makes it so much easier to say no,” said Laura Bourne, one of the parents. “The longer we can preserve their innocence, the better.” Read more: How to Break Internet Addiction? Last month, schools and parents in the town of Greystones in Ireland took the initiative out of concern that smartphones were fueling anxiety and exposing children to adult content. It is a rare occasion for an entire town to take action together on such an issue, the Guardian reports. The voluntary “Greystones Pact” is to withhold smartphones from children – at home, in school, everywhere – until they enter secondary school. Applying it to all children in the area will, it is hoped, curb peer pressure and dampen any resentment. “Childhoods are getting shorter and shorter,” Rachel Harper, the principal of St Patrick’s School who led the initiative, told the Guardian. Nine-year-olds had started requesting smartphones, she said. Read more: How to keep your child engaged at home without gadgets “It was creeping in younger and younger, we could see it happening.” A town-wide policy reduces the chance of a child having a peer with a smartphone and parents can present the code as a school rule, said Harper. “They love it – now they can blame the schools.” The initiative has garnered interest from parent associations in Ireland and internationally, prompting Ireland's health minister, Stephen Donnelly, to recommend it as a national policy. Read more: Effects of Excessive Use of Smartphones “Ireland can be, and must be, a world leader in ensuring that children and young people are not targeted and are not harmed by their interactions with the digital world,” he wrote in the Irish Times. “We must make it easier for parents to limit the content their children are exposed to.” The “Greystones Pact” stemmed from children showing anxiety levels only partly attributable to Covid-era adaptation, Harper told the Guardian. Schools circulated questionnaires among parents, leading to a meeting of community stakeholders and an initiative dubbed “it takes a village”. Read more: How to entertain an unwell child without screen time Not all parents will deny their primary schoolchildren a smartphone – the code is voluntary – but enough have signed up to create a sense of critical mass, said Harper. “Hopefully down the line it’ll become the new norm,” she told the Guardian.

Tamim Iqbal scored 69 runs and Mushfiqur Rahim contributed 45 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 274 in 48.5 overs in the third ODI of the three-match series against Ireland on Sunday. Although Bangladesh looked set to reach 300, some quick wickets— five wickets in 13 runs— toward the end of the innings prevented them from achieving their target. Bangladesh’s biggest partnership came on the sixth wicket when Mushfiqur and Mehdiy Hasan Miraz added 72 runs on the board. Ireland won the toss and chose to bowl first at County Ground, Chelmsford. Bangladesh began their innings well, with opener Tamim leading from the front. He scored a fifty after nine innings. However, he fell for 69 runs off 82 balls with 8 fours and a six, caught by Craig Young off the bowling of George Dockrell. Debutant Rony Talukdar was the first wicket to fall for Bangladesh, dismissed by Tucker for 4 runs. Najmul Hossain Shanto scored a useful 35 runs off 32 balls, but was caught by Balbirnie off the bowling of Craig Young. The middle-order batsmen Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy also contributed with scores of 35 and 13 runs respectively, but both were dismissed by Mark Adair. Litton looked set to build a big innings, but he failed to carry on. Mushfiqur scored 45 runs off 54 balls but was eventually dismissed lbw by Andy McBrine. The onus was on him to accelerate the scoring rate towards the end of the innings, but he was given out lbw after a review went against him. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also played an important role, scoring 37 runs off 39 balls before being caught by Craig Young off the bowling of Mark Adair. Mrittunjoy Chowdhury played a crucial cameo towards the end of the innings, scoring an unbeaten 10 runs off just 8 balls, helping Bangladesh reach a total of 274 runs. Mark Adair was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland, finishing with figures of 4 for 40 in his 8.4 overs. Andy McBrine and George Dockrell also bagged two wickets each for Ireland. Bangladesh won the second ODI by chasing down a total of more than 300 runs, with Shanto scoring his maiden ODI century, while the first match was washed out due to rain. A victory in this match would secure the series for the Tigers.    

Bangladesh and Ireland are set to face off in the second one-day international at Chelmsford on May 12 at 3:45 PM BD time. Unfortunately, the first ODI between these two teams was abandoned due to rain. As a result, South Africa has secured a direct qualification for the World Cup, benefiting from the outcome. Despite their efforts, even if Ireland manages to win the remaining matches in the series, they will not secure a direct spot in the World Cup. However, that does not mean that they will show an ignorant attitude for the next two matches. Let's see what to expect in the 2023 IRE vs BAN second ODI. Ireland vs Bangladesh 1st ODI Result Bangladesh has been accompanied by rain since going to England, and the first ODI was the same too. Bangladesh team wanted to celebrate Mushfiqur Rahim's birthday with a win. But the rain did not allow that wish to be fulfilled. Last Tuesday (May 9) in Chelmsford, England, Bangladesh lost the toss and went into bat and scored 246 runs for 9 wickets. In reply, Ireland did not get a chance to score more than 65 runs for 3 wickets in 16.3 overs due to rain. Later, the match was declared abandoned as the game was not played on the field. Read More: Bangladesh-Ireland ODI series starts with a washout Ireland's openers Stephen Doheny and Paul Stirling got off to bat with a target of 247 runs. However, Stalling was caught by Shariful after 22 runs. After Stirling's departure, Balbirnie quickly returned. The right-handed batsman was bowled in the in-swing by Hasan Mahmud after the team scored 27 runs. The Irish team found themselves in a tight spot as they lost a couple of early wickets, increasing the pressure on them. Subsequently, spinner Taijul Islam claimed the dismissal of Doheny. Shariful and Hassan started to hold down the Irish after getting a quick wicket. But then the rain hit. Earlier, Bangladesh lost the toss and went into batting, lost 9 wickets, and collected 246 runs on the scorecard. Mushfiqur scored the highest 61 runs for Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh did not start well in batting. In the opening over, Josh Little came into the attack. A Yorker in the off stump on the fourth delivery of his over hit Litton's pads straight and it was an out. Litton had to return without scoring after playing just one ball. Further, Tamim Iqbal could last long. He scored 14 runs from 19 balls. Read More: BAN v IRE 1st ODI: Tigers restricted to modest total batting first Despite Bangladesh having a chance to regain momentum during the middle overs, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, and Shanto failed to capitalize on their promising starts and convert them into substantial innings. Shakib Al Hasan, known for his reliability, fell victim to Hume's bowling when he attempted a reckless shot. Shanto seemed to be in excellent form, but unfortunately, he mistimed a delivery from Curtis Campher, resulting in a straightforward catch for Mark Adair. Then Mushfiqur Rahim came to bat. On his 36th birthday, Mushfiqur Rahim showcased his skills in front of a passionate crowd of over 3000 predominantly Bangladeshi fans. He notched up a well-deserved half-century for his team. Alongside him, Najmul Hossain Shanto contributed with a commendable 44 runs. Despite their efforts, Bangladesh couldn't collect a challenging total on the scoreboard. The foundation of Bangladesh's innings was built upon Mushfiqur Rahim's fifty, with Shanto playing a supportive role in the process. Read More: Despite cricket-mad nation, broadcasters fail to secure Ireland tour rights IRE vs BAN 2nd ODI Preview In the first match, Bangladesh couldn't collect a big score. That's why the primary goal of the Tamim Iqbal-led team was to prevent Ireland from building a strong base. Both the pacers of the Tigers bowled well in the beginning, using the advantage of the wicket for that purpose. So, the Tigers will need to follow this approach in the next match even if they collect a big score. Further, both teams will need to focus on the field. The shape of the field at Chelmsford is also worth seeing, as one side is small, and the other side is big. Players will have to be tactical in such a field. Bangladesh will also need to focus on how the team will be coordinated in this condition. However, with Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the team, Bangladesh does not have to think much about coordination as Miraz is now a pure batsman. He has Test and ODI centuries, and we can call him an all-rounder. So is Shakib. Hence, Bangladesh is very lucky that they can play an extra batsman or bowler if needed. That's a luxury for any team. Read More: IRE vs BAN ODI Series 2023: Bangladesh Squad Analysis On the other hand, Irish bowlers did very well in the first match. They will need to keep it up and put more pressure on Bangladeshi batters. However, they will need to focus on batting as they lost three wickets in the first 15 overs. Probable Playing XI for Bangladesh Team Tamim Iqbal (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain. Probable Playing XI for Ireland Team Stephen Doheny, Paul Stirling, Batting Allrounder, Andy Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Josh Little. Read More: Bangladesh cricket team departs for England tonight Key Players to Watch Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur has had a great form lately. While the established batsmen failed to play long innings in the last match, Mushfiqur Rahim took the lead. With his half-century, Bangladesh marked it. But when more runs were needed on the scoreboard, he was caught out while hitting Little. The last established batsman fell on his departure in the 45th over. Mushfiqur made 61 off 70 balls before departing. It had 6 fours. So, fans can expect that Mushi will play another great inning in the second match. Josh Little Josh Little is a star bowler for the Irish, and he proved that too. The left-handed pacer, who played in the IPL as Ireland's first cricketer, gave the team success in the first over with a great delivery and dismissed Litton Das by LBW with a superb yorker off the fourth ball. He took 3 wickets for 61 runs for the Irish, and he started getting great movement from the first ball. So, he might play a great role in stopping the Bangladeshi batters. Final Words The first one-day game held at the Chelmsford venue was abandoned without a clear indication of which team had the chance to win. However, we anticipate that the more experienced Bangladesh side will emerge victorious in the second ODI as the game is taking place at the same venue. Read More: Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023: Venue, Schedule, Fixtures, Previous Records. Nonetheless, the Irish team displayed an admirable performance in the first match, indicating that we can anticipate a close contest in the IRE vs. BAN 2nd ODI 2023.

The Bangladesh cricket team travelled to England early this month to participate in the ICC ODI Super League against Ireland. On May 9, the first match of the series between Bangladesh and Ireland will take place in Chelmsford. The match will start at 3:45 PM BDT time. It is an important series for Ireland as a 3-0 will help them direct entry to the ICC World Cup in India. Although the Irish are easy opponents at home, it might be difficult for the Tigers to win in the English conditions. Unlike the series in Bangladesh in March, we may expect a competitive series in Chelmsford. IRE vs BAN Preparation Match Tamim Iqbal's team was scheduled to participate in the preparation match at Furners in Cambridge on May 5. However, the match was abandoned due to the rain. Even the toss couldn’t take place. The toss was scheduled to take place at 10:45 AM UK time but was not possible due to rain. After that, two hours passed like this. Later the rain stopped, but the match was declared abandoned due to a wet pitch. Although the Bangladesh team travelled early to practise in England conditions, they could practise for only two days. Now Bangladesh will head to the first match without playing any warm-up match. Read more: IRE vs BAN ODI Series 2023: Bangladesh Squad Analysis Ireland vs Bangladesh 1st ODI Preview Bangladesh last played in England in 2019. As a result, the Tigers will have to give a tough test on this wicket as they are not familiar with the current condition. Therefore, the preparation match would have been a great help for the Bangladesh team. But the Tigers are in good form, and it is expected that they will find an easy way to win the first ODI. Furthermore, Bangladeshi players have been playing continuously from the beginning of the year. BPL, Dhaka Premier League, series against England and Ireland kept Bangladeshi players in continuous practice. So, there will not be any problem for Bangladesh. Bangladesh will have to take the challenge of the wicket if they want to win. The pitch conditions are completely different than in Bangladesh. If the game was played in June-July, it would have been an advantage for the Tigers as the wicket remains dry at that time. But now the weather is different, and the pitch condition will be a big challenge for Bangladesh as well as for Ireland. Although this series is not so important for Bangladesh, it is a life-and-death battle for Ireland. Because if they beat Bangladesh by 3-0 in this series, the Irish will go directly to the World Cup with 30 points in the ICC ODI Super League. And if they fail to win 3-0, they will have to meet in Zimbabwe in June in the qualifiers. Irish are more or less familiar with the England weather and pitch conditions. Therefore, they will plan accordingly to give a good fight to win the match as well as the series. However, the recent loss to Bangladesh last March may decrease their confidence. But, the Irish star bowler Joshua Little is joining the team, and this will surely boost the confidence. Read More: Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023: Venue, Schedule, Fixtures, Previous Records Probable Playing XI for Bangladesh Team Tamim Iqbal (c), Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman. Probable Playing XI for Ireland Team Andy Balbirnie (c), Stephen Doheny, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Josh Little.

Bangladesh is going to play a three-match ODI series against Ireland in England next month. The series will start on May 9 at Chelmsford, and all three matches will take place at the same venue. However, the tour was scheduled for 2020, but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, it is a part of the Super League, and winning the series by 3-0 may help Ireland play the ODI World Cup 2023 directly. While Ireland is yet to announce the team, Bangladesh has already announced the squad for the tour. Let’s analyze the squad and see the potentiality of Bangladesh. Bangladesh ODI Squad Against Ireland  Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, and Mohammad Mrittunjoy Chowdhury. Bangladesh Squad Analysis for IRE vs BAN ODI Series 2023 BCB has announced the Bangladesh squad for the ODI series against Ireland to be held in England next month. Although Bangladesh had a 14-member squad in the home series against Ireland last month, BCB announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming tour. Left-handed pacer Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, who is waiting for his debut, has been called to the team. Pacer Taskin Ahmed is not on the team. Taskin was ruled out during the only Test against Ireland due to injury this month. At that time, he was supposed to be out of the field for about four weeks. Read More: Dhaka League: Sheikh Jamal on top going into Super League. Apart from Taskin, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed was also left out. They were included in the last Ireland series team. Besides Mrittunjoy, Shoriful Islam and Taijul Islam have come to the team. While Shoriful and Mrittunjoy were taken in place of Taskin, Taijul Islam returned to Nasum Ahmed’s place. Mrittunjoy played for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi club last season in Dhaka Premier League. So far, in 7 matches, he took 9 wickets at 27.88 with the best bowling performance of 3 wickets for 31 runs. Although he was in the under-19 World Cup winning team in 2020, he had to return home early due to injury. Further, Mrittunjoy’s previous BPL performance was great, but the 21-year-old could not shine well in the last season. On the other hand, Shoriful played the last ODI in August 2022. He also returned to Tests after the T20 team with the series against Ireland. The left-handed pacer who played 14 matches in this edition returned to ODIs as well. The presence of Mustafizur Rahman, along with Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, in the Ireland series is also noteworthy. As Shakib was in the IPL, there was a discussion about whether he will play in this series or not. However, Shakib has removed himself from this IPL season. Litton is staying for Kolkata Knight Riders till this series. Mustafiz, who is in the IPL, will also have to leave Delhi Capitals. Read More: Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023: Venue, Schedule, Fixtures, Previous Records Yasir Ali, who scored 17 and 7 runs in 2 matches against the Irish in the home series, has retained his place in the team. Rony Talukdar, who is waiting for his debut, has also been retained. But he should be thought of mainly as a backup opener. As England’s pitch will be challenging, team selector Minhajul Abedin and team management have considered different factors before the announcement. And they also wanted to test some players before the Asia Cup, which will help selectors to create the team for the World Cup. Bangladesh Players to Watch  Since Bangladesh just played with Ireland, the most recent performers will surely get attention in the upcoming tour. Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur’s overall performance against the last Ireland series was incredible. To speak about the ODI performance, he scored 144 runs in two innings with a record-breaking century. In the second ODI match, Mushfiqur broke Shakib’s 14-year record by scoring a century off only 60 balls. He secured his ninth century on the last ball of the innings, collecting a total of 100 runs with 14 fours and 2 sixes. So, fans will surely be looking forward to his performance. Read More: Saudi Arabia plans to launch 'richest T20 league' Towhid Hridoy Towhid scored 141 runs in two innings. During his ODI debut, Towhid Hridoy set a new record for the highest run scored by a Bangladeshi player. Despite having a good chance to become the first player to achieve a century in fifth down, Hridoy fell short of the world record by just 8 runs. However, this broke the record previously held by Nasir Hossain, who had scored 63 runs during his debut match for Bangladesh, and Hridoy accomplished this feat after 12 years. Ebadot Hossain Ebadot was one of the top wicket-takers in the last series. He took 6 wickets in total. In the first ODI match, Ebadot Hossain displayed an impressive bowling performance. In his 6.5 overs, he took 4 wickets while giving 42 runs with no maiden overs. His economy rate of 6.14 was quite impressive, considering the fact that he was constantly putting pressure on the Irish batsmen with his line and length. So, it is evident that he understood the Irish batsmen’s playing style, and we may see some incredible performances from Ebadot again. Final Words Bangladesh is going to the UK to play Ireland with a full-strength team. Overall, there are five pacers in the 15-member team. Hence, Bangladesh will try to keep pressure on the Irish using the pacers. So, the IRE vs BAN ODI series 2023 will be a thrilling encounter between the two teams. Although Bangladesh emerged as a winner on the home ground, the Tigers may need to change their tactic in England. We may see some standout individual performances from Bangladeshi players. Read More: Shakib Al Hasan named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March 2023.

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.  Read More: Saudi Arabia plans to launch 'richest T20 league' Table: Schedule, and venue of IRE vs BAN ODI series 2023 Matches Date Time (Bangladesh Time) Venue Warm-up Match May 5, 2023 4:45 pm Cambridge 1st One Day May 9, 2023 4:45 pm The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford 2nd One Day May 12, 2023 4:45 pm The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford 3rd One Day May 14, 2023 4:45 pm The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford 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. Read More: Shakib Al Hasan named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March 2023 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. Read More: Mushfiqur, Shakib see Improvements in ICC Rankings 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. Read More: Mrittunjoy earns call-up as BCB announces ODI squad for Ireland ODIs

Ireland won the toss and chose to bat first in their first-ever Test match against Bangladesh. Prior to this game, Ireland had played three Tests, losing all of them. This match features six Test debutants: Murray Commins, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, Graham Hume, and Ben White. In addition, Peter Moor, with eight Tests for Zimbabwe, will make his first appearance for Ireland. It will also be White's first-ever first-class match. While Ireland is a relatively inexperienced team in Tests, Bangladesh has opted for an experienced squad. In the absence of Taskin Ahmed, they have included Shoriful Islam in their playing XI. Yesterday, it was unclear if Tamim Iqbal would play, but he has been included in the playing XI for Bangladesh. Also read: Taskin ruled out, Tamim uncertain as Tigers set to take on Ireland in one-off Test Bangladesh XI: Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain Ireland XI: Murray Commins, James McCollum, Andy Balbirnie, Harry Tector, PJ Moor, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Graham Hume, Ben White  

After so many calculations, BCB announced a 14-man squad on Saturday for the only Test against Ireland. Though Shakib and Litton have been expecting to attend the IPL, they are selected as captain and vice-captain. Bangladesh vs Ireland test match will take place from April 4 to April 9 at Dhaka. Let’s take a look at the preview Bangladesh vs Ireland Test 2023. Analysis of Bangladesh Test Squad Against Ireland Ireland has played only three Tests since receiving Test status. The last match was almost three and a half years ago. Against teams that lag behind in strength and experience, there is an opportunity to experiment. There is also the matter of seeing someone playing outside the regular eleven. But Bangladesh Cricket Board is not walking that way as they have announced a squad with top players, including Shakib and Litton. According to selector Abdur Razzak, they want to get a big win against a small opponent. And that is why Bangladesh will play with full strength. However, there are some changes in the Bangladesh squad. Yasir Ali Rabbi, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Nasum Ahmed, and Rejaur Rahman Raja have been dropped from the team that played against India. Also, Zakir Hasan, who scored a century in the Test debut, is out due to injury. Zakir's injury opened the luck for Sadman Islam. The left-handed opener returned to the national team after a year. Read More: Analysis of BAN vs IRE T20i Series 2023: Best Performances, Records, Achievements On the other hand, regular opener Tamim Iqbal, who could not play in the India vs Bangladesh series due to injury, has returned to the Test team. Pacers Ebadot Hossain and Shoriful Islam also returned to the team. Shoriful and Ebadat were not in the India series due to injuries. Both returned to the squad for the Ireland Test. Rejaur and Nasum, who are waiting for their Test debut, could not make it to the team because of Shoriful and Ebadat’s return. The Irish could not give a big fight except winning the last T20 in Bangladesh this time. They did not get any chance at all in the ODI series. The same happened in the first two T20Is. The last match was only a consolation win. But that does not reduce the fear of doing well in the Test. That is why Bangladesh doesn’t want to take any risk, as this is the only Test. Bangladesh Squad Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das, Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy. Read More: Bangladesh Announce Squad for Ireland Test Players to Watch Among these 14 players, fans are expecting more from a few players, such as Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehidy Hassan Miraz. Litton Das Litton’s performance in the series against India did not live up to expectations. But he got good news after scoring a half-century in the last inning. The stylish batsman touched his career-best position in the ICC Test batsmen rankings, which is also the best in Bangladesh's 22-year Test history. In the weekly update of the ICC rankings, Litton was at number 12 after the India series. He rose to twelfth place in March 2022. His ranking remained the same after finishing the Test against Sri Lanka in May at Mirpur. No other batsman from Bangladesh has ever climbed so high in the test ranking. Now he is at 14 with 702 ratings. So, it is expected that Litton will climb up in the test ranking again. Read More: Dhaka League: Mohammedan get first win of season in 6th match Shakib Al Hasan Shakib contributed tremendously in the last test series against India. With the bat, he scored 87 runs but could not take any wickets in the first match. However, he performed well with balls in the second game, as he took 6 wickets. However, he could not contribute well with bats in the second match. Shakib has had great form, as he proved in the England and Ireland series. And we can expect excellent performance in Test too. Currently, Shakib is at number 3 allrounder in the ICC Test ranking. Mehidy Hasan Miraz Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the highest wicket-taker for the Bangladesh team in 2022. Miraz took 31 wickets in Tests and played 8 matches. He gave 1030 runs off 2061 balls. Therefore, Miraz took 1 wicket in every 33 balls. He also did excellent in the most recent test series against India. He took 11 wickets against India. And he is certainly waiting for Ireland to give his best. Read More: Indore GM Chess: Bangladeshi IM Abu Sufian Shakil earns 1.5 points after 2nd round Final Words It is expected that the BAN vs IRE 2023 test will be a one-sided match as Bangladesh is more experienced than young Ireland. And BCB wants to achieve a big win as they have announced an experienced team consisting of top players. So, this test squad may impact overall team selection for test cricket in the future.