Bangladesh v Ireland: Hosts secure T20 series success with comfortable 77-run win

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al-Hasan (left) celebrates with Mehidy Hasan

Bangladesh comfortably saw off Ireland by 77 runs to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 series in Chittagong.

A delayed start because of rain led to the match being reduced to 17 overs per side, but the hosts still racked up a formidable total of 202-3.

Litton Das top-scored with 83 off 41 balls, with Rony Talukdar hitting 44.

Ireland struggled in their reply, Curtis Campher making 50 and Shakib Al Hasan ending with figures of 5-20.

Home captain Shakib also contributed an unbeaten 38 in an innings which saw Ben White take the wickets of prolific openers Das and Talukdar, who put together a spirited partnership of 124.

However, Bangladesh's run rate of almost 12 runs per over proved too difficult for Ireland to match and, after Paul Stirling went for a 'duck' off the opening ball, wickets fell at regular intervals.

Shakib took the wickets of Lorcan Tucker, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell and Harry Tector to wipe out Ireland's upper and middle order batters, with only Campher putting up stubborn resistance with his half century off 30 balls.

Tector struck three sixes in his 22, while Graham Hume was unbeaten on 20.

Taskin Ahmed ably supported Shakib by taking 3-27.

Bangladesh defeated Ireland by 22 runs in their opening rain-affected T20 encounter on Monday, with the third of their three games taking place on Friday.

The hosts won the preceding three-match one-day international series 2-0 and the teams will meet for a one-off Test in early April.

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