Shakib and Hridoy help Bangladesh to record-breaking win over Ireland

Shakib Al Hasan hit five fours in an over off Harry Tector © AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh 338 for 8 (Shakib 93, Hridoy 92, Hume 4-60) beat Ireland 155 (Dockrell 45, Doheny 34, Ebadot 4-42) by 183 runs

Bangladesh set two new team records in their 183-run win over Ireland in the first ODI in Sylhet. It is their biggest win in ODIs, batting first, after they scored 338 for 8, their highest total in the format, too. The visitors, who have come to these shores after 15 years, were bowled out for 155 in 30.5 overs.

Bangladesh’s innings was built around Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy making nineties, with Mushfiqur Rahim’s fiery 26-ball 44 complementing their effort. Hridoy’s 92 is the highest by a Bangladeshi debutant in ODIs, beating Nasir Hossain’s 63 in 2011. Hridoy became the first batter from this team to score a fifty on debut batting in the top five. Shakib scored 93, the fourth time he has fallen in the nineties. The pair added 135 runs for the fourth wicket, the foundation on which Bangladesh built their record-breaking total.

With a big chase in front of them, Ireland suffered a top- and middle-order collapse, triggered by Shakib and then made terminal by Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed, who picked up the next four wickets to fall. The visitors went from 60 for 0 to 76 for 5. Nasum Ahmed cleaned up the lower order with 3 for 43. On the day of winning the ESPNcricinfo award for 2022’s best Test bowling performance, Ebadot finished on his career-best ODI figures of 4 for 42.

But it was Bangladesh’s batting that made this victory possible. The big partnership between Hridoy and Shakib came on the back of Ireland taking three early wickets. Paul Stirling took the catches of both Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das, before Andy McBrine removed Najmul Hossain Shanto for 25. The trio must have rued their luck having seen what followed.

Shakib and Hridoy spent roughly 15 overs rebuilding the innings before unfurling a flurry of boundaries. During this consolidation period, Shakib became the third cricketer to reach 7,000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs. The pair struck a four each in the 32nd over before Shakib launched into Harry Tector in the 35th over. He struck five fours — sweeping twice, cutting one through point, and chipping over cover and long-on – as Bangladesh lifted the scoring significantly.

Towhid Hridoy made 92 on ODI debut © AFP/Getty Images

A century after four years stared back at Shakib at this stage but Graham Hume, Ireland’s best bowler of the day, removed him with a wide yorker. This was Shakib’s eighth dismissal in the 90s in all formats. His 89-ball stay contained nine boundaries.

Soon after that dismissal, Hridoy blasted Hume for a six to keep the momentum going. He struck one more, and rushed towards a century himself. It would have been the first by a Bangladeshi on ODI debut but Hume bowled him with a full one and, having already removed Mushfiqur earlier in the over. finished with his maiden four-wicket haul in ODIs.

Mushfiqur had hammered three sixes, two of them down the ground. He also hit three fours as his 26-ball 44, the late push that took them to a big total.

Ireland’s innings started as promisingly as any team would want chasing 339. Stirling and Stephen Doheny added 60 runs for the first wicket before the batting collapse set in. Doheny made 34 off 38 balls with five boundaries, before Shakib had him caught behind in the 12th over. Ebadot removed Stirling in the following over but that was more a wicketkeeper’s wicket. Mushfiqur dived down the leg-side to complete a tumbling effort.

In his next over, Tector edged Ebadot for 3, with Mushfiqur taking his third catch. Then Taskin turned 68 for 3 into 76 for 5 in the space of five of his deliveries. First he bowled captain Andrew Balbirnie through the gate for 5, before Yasir took a smart catch at slip, to remove Lorcan Tucker for 6.

Curtis Campher and George Dockrell stemmed the collapse with a 33-run stand for the sixth wicket, before Nasum did away with it. He trapped Campher lbw in the 24th over, with the third umpire upholding the on-field umpire’s decision. Nasum repeated the dose to Gareth Delany in his following over, trapping him lbw for 1. McBrine fell next ball, caught behind for a golden duck. Ebadot removed Mark Adair three overs later, with Mushfiqur taking his fifth catch in the match, for the second time in his ODI career.

Ebadot finished the game with his fourth wicket, that of Dockrell, who top scored with 45 off 47 with six fours. It was Ebadot’s second four-wicket haul, coming in an already special day for him.