Bangladesh are going to play three three-match T20I series against Ireland in Chittagong starting on March 27. The other two matches will be on March 29 and 31. Bangladesh and Ireland already reached Chittagong on Friday afternoon. Bangladesh will be looking to continue their dominant run in the format, while Ireland will be eager to come back from their recent ODI loss. The 2023 BAN vs IRE 1st T20I game will start at 2 PM.
Preview of Bangladesh vs Ireland First T20I 2023
Hosts Bangladesh played brilliantly in the ODI series against Ireland in Sylhet. The Irish could not give their best in the 3-match ODI series. The visitors, however, survived a sure whitewash as the second ODI was abandoned with the blessings of rain. In the remaining two matches, Bangladesh won with a record. And through this, the differences in strength and ability between the two teams have become clear. Now, it is expected that Bangladesh will beat them in T20 too.
In the ICC T20 world ranking, Bangladesh is 9th, and Ireland is 12th. However, there have been very few encounters between the two teams in the T20 format. The last T20 fight between each other was in 2012. In other words, in the last 11 years, the two teams have not met in the T20 format.
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However, in the 2016 T20 World Cup, Bangladesh-Ireland met in the preliminary round at Dharamsala. But in that match, after Bangladesh scored 94 runs for 2 wickets in 8 overs, the match was abandoned due to rain. This statistic is for the global event or a tournament. And in the bilateral series, the last meeting between the two teams was in 2012. Bangladesh toured Ireland that year and returned home after whitewashing them 3-0.
In total, only 1 of the 5 T20 matches between the two teams has been abandoned, and Bangladesh has won 3 and lost 1. In the 2009 T20 World Cup, the Irish defeated Bangladesh by 6 wickets in Nottingham. After that, Bangladesh won 3 consecutive matches. Considering the statistics, the Tigers are clearly ahead.
The Ireland team played the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. However, they played the preliminary round at Sylhet and departed. Therefore, Bangladesh-Ireland has not met on the country ground so far. After 11 years, they are going to meet again in a bilateral series. Bangladesh is certainly the favorite in this series, as they have beaten the Irish in Sylhet in the ODI series.
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Ireland will enter the T20 series with the same squad. The Irish have not played an international match in any format before in Chittagong. So, they will have a completely new experience this time. Earlier this month, the Tigers defeated the world champions England in the previous series at this venue. They lost to Bangladesh at this ground in the third and last ODI of the series after leading by 2-0. Later they lost in the first T20 match in Chittagong as well.
So, it will be a tough challenge for the Irish to do well against Bangladesh in Chittagong. However, Ireland is a very strong team in the T20 format. In the last World Cup, they defeated England by 5 runs. Won against West Indies as well. So, Bangladesh will need to play cautiously.
BAN vs IRE 1st T20I Probable Squad
Bangladesh Playing XI (Predicted)
Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
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Ireland Playing XI (Predicted)
Paul Stirling, Ross Adair, Andy Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Matthew Humphreys, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Craig Young, Mark Adair, Graham Hume.
Changes in the Teams
Leg spinner Rishad and wicketkeeper Batter Zaker are going to get a chance in this series. Apart from this, everyone will have a special eye on Towhid Hridoy, who made his debut against England, and Rony Talukdar, who returned after a long time. In this series, they have a chance to make their place in the team by doing something great.
On the other hand, 24-year-old pace all-rounder Fionn Hand has been included in the T20 squad. Conor Olphert has been omitted from the short version announced team. He was injured.
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Key Players to Watch
Bangladeshi Players to Watch
Najmul Hossain Shanto, the left-handed top-order batter, has been having the form of his life. Earlier this month, he hit scores of 51, 46 not out, and 47 not out against England in T20s.
Shakib Al Hasan, the team's captain, is one of the most feared left-arm spinners in T20 cricket and is noted for his economic run. He is also a dependable batsman across all formats, having hit 93 against Ireland in the opening ODI.
Taskin Ahmed, the right-arm pace bowler, has been in outstanding form against Ireland and England. He claimed five wickets from two innings against Ireland in the ODIs.
Irish Players to Watch
Paul Stirling, the opener, boasts an impressive track record in the T20 format and has participated in the majority of the top leagues. His aggressive batting style makes him a powerful asset.
Lorcan Tucker, a 26-year-old wicket-keeper-batsman, has scored five IT20 half-centuries in the past 16 months, with his highest score reaching 84.
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Graham Hume, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, was the only Ireland bowler to have earned any recognition in the ODI series. He is likely to be the most confident bowler in the Irish squad for this game.
Tickets
The Cricket Board announced the ticket prices in a statement on Saturday (March 25). To enjoy the T20 series, tickets can be purchased for a minimum of Tk 200 in the western stand gallery of the stadium. Eastern stand ticket price is 300 taka.
Apart from this, Club House Gallery is Tk 500, International Stand Tk 1000, and Rooftop Hospitality and Grand Stand Gallery tickets are Tk 1500. As always, tickets can be purchased in person from Sagorika Ticket Counter and MA Aziz Stadium booth. Apart from this, tickets can be bought online. To buy tickets online, you have to go to the BCB website.
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Final Words
While Bangladesh is determined to win the T20 series, too, Ireland will surely try to come back. However, T20s are more unpredictable than the one-day match. So, guessing the winner is difficult for T20 matches. On top of that, Ireland is better at playing T20 than the ODIs. Hence, we can expect a great fight in BAN vs IRE 1st T20I 2023.