In a bid to clinch the three-match ODI series with a game to spare, Bangladesh Women's team will take on Ireland in the second match today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The match starts at 10 AM.
Bangladesh lead the series 1-0 following a 154 runs victory in the first game. The margin of the victory was their biggest in this format. They also put up 252-4, which was their highest total in Women's ODI, before wrapping up Ireland for just 98 for a facile victory.
Bangladesh were expected to win in dominating fashion against a low ranked team like Ireland. They now also need to win the remaining two matches to keep their hope to make a direct entry to the ICC Women's World Cup, alive.
If they can win all three matches, their next target will be to win all three matches against West Indies. They in fact need to win the remaining five matches to give them any chance for direct qualification to the women's cricket's biggest extravaganza to be held in India next year.
"But we are thinking match by match. We have won the first match. Now our target is to win the second match," Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter said ahead of the second match.
"If we win that, we will think about the third match. We have won the first match by dominating them, which was our target. We will try to continue to win like that," she added.
Marufa, however, warned her side to guard against the complacency as she believes Ireland will try to come back strongly to level the series. "They are here to play and win the series. So no doubt, they will try to make a strong comeback to win the second game and level the series. They know well that a defeat in this match would ruin their hopes of winning the series. So we have to be alert," she remarked. —BSS
