West Indies and Bangladesh to play Tri-series in Ireland

Bangladesh will face confident West Indies during their first ODI match of the tri-nation series at Clontarf Cricket Ground in Dublin today.

West Indies got off to a flyer in the tournament as they handed hosts Ireland a heavy defeat with their openers John Campbell and Shai Hope setting a world record opening stand.

But West Indies will not be the only challenge Bangladesh will face in Clontarf as the cold and challenging conditions will be among other hurdles they must overcome.

Bangladesh team took part in the practice session in the afternoon on Monday and got some idea about the windy and overcast conditions.

 “I don’t think we can adjust with this cold because the people who live here also struggle with it. But we can’t think about this because this will be a mere excuse in the end,” said Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza during their pre-match press conference at Clontarf Cricket Ground on Tuesday.   

Before the tournament, Bangladesh got the opportunity to play a practice match but its result did not go in their way as they lost to Oreland Wolves by 88 runs while chasing 308 in a small ground at the Vineyard on Sunday.

But Tigers’ skipper believed his players will acclimatize to the conditions soon and perform better in the first ODI. He thought about the conditions and the result of practice match will create extra burden and they must take on the field with a fresh mindset.

“We lost the practice match yesterday. We have to execute well tomorrow in the first ODI.  It depends on what our state of mind is tomorrow. I do not think we have to take the field thinking about these things. The practice was not ideal but I think the batsmen got the idea how to bat in these wickets in these conditions and at the same time, I think the bowling was not up to the mark. So, we have to rectify these things tomorrow,” Mashrafe added.  

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman seemed fit and is likely to play in the first ODI. Pacer Rubel Hossain played in the practice match but the team management is cautious about his participation in a competitive match since he is recovering from an injury.

“He is a very important player for us. All our pacers have some niggles and we have to keep in mind about the forthcoming World Cup. The five matches here are important but we have to look forward for the big tournament. We don’t want to see any mishap, we must manage these things and I am sure the persons regarding injury management are experts on these issues,” said Mashrafe.

The first match is always important as it will set the tone of the series and the Bangladesh camp is also eyeing a confident start in the series prior to the World Cup.

“We will try to play the first match with importance. I think if we can play well tomorrow we may get one step ahead. So, for me, the first match is very important,” the captain concluded.

The pitch looks batting friendly as generally Clontarf tends to provide plenty of runs. The boundary is shorter in the square regions. West Indies scored a lot of runs in the first ODI against hosts Ireland. Their openers even smashed a world record.

The bowlers need to adapt to the conditions as well as the batsman who need to face the adversity of the wind.

But if the Tigers can showcase a good performance in the first match, it may set a very good tone for their long and important tour of the United Kingdom.