Tigers romp to first 10-wicket victory in international cricket
Litton was the more aggressive of the two batters. He struck 10 boundaries en route to his 50 not out off just 38 balls. Tamim was unbeaten on a run-a-ball 41 with the help of five fours and two sixes.
Bangladesh fast bowlers had a field day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium against Ireland on Thursday and their dominant 10-wicket win in the third ODI helped them clinch the series 2-0. It was the hosts' first 10-wicket win in any format of the game.
Hasan Mahmud led the bowling attack with a career-best five-wicket haul and got great support from Taskin Ahmed (3/26) and Ebadot Hossain (2/29).
It was the first time all 10 wickets were taken by Bangladesh pacers in an innings. Interestingly, Ireland had to face only four overs of spin from Nasum Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
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Chasing 102, Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das enjoyed themselves in the middle as they played a host of cracking shots against an Ireland attack that looked out of sorts.
Litton was the more aggressive of the two batters. He struck 10 boundaries en route to his 50 not out off just 38 balls. Tamim was unbeaten on a run-a-ball 41 with the help of five fours and two sixes.
Andy Balbirnie once again called it right at the toss and this time decided to have a bat to give his batters a chance to put runs on the board on a Sylhet pitch that produced a lot of runs of late.
But Ireland barely had answers to the questions asked by the Bangladesh pacers. The visitors found themselves in a deep hole as they lost four wickets inside the powerplay. Right-arm pacer Hasan Mahmud, back in the XI, struck thrice inside the powerplay to get rid of Stephen Doheny, Paul Stirling and Harry Tector.
Skipper Balbirnie didn't have a good day with the bat as well. Taskin Ahmed accounted for the wicket and Najmul Hossain Shanto took another catch in the slip.
Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker (28 off 31) looked pretty comfortable in their fifth-wicket stand of 42 off 57 but Ebadot Hossain proved to be the middle-over enforcer again. The Sylhet-born paceman picked up the scalps of the well-set Tucker and George Dockrell in consecutive deliveries.
Taskin then returned to bounce out Andy McBrine and clean up Mark Adair in a space of three deliveries.
Hasan, the pick of the bowlers, removed Ireland's best batter Campher (36 off 48) and then trapped Graham Hume leg-before to complete his five-for.
