Brothers O’Brien take Ireland to next stage by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	Bangladesh v Ireland
Player:	Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, WK McCallan, DT Johnston, KJ O'Brien, NJ O'Brien
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 8th June 2009

 

Niall and Kevin O’Brien came good for Ireland as they repeated their ODI World Cup upset of Bangladesh in the 20-over format as well, weathering some anxious moments to score a well-deserved six-wicket win which sent them to the Super Eight and the Bangladeshis back home.

 

Bangladesh batted without any sort of imagination and did not manage to put pressure on the Irish, having been sent in to bat, and paid a heavy price as they left themselves way too much to ask in the Irish innings.

 

The stars for Ireland were Trent Johnston, who was brilliant with the new ball, and the O’Brien brothers, with Niall working wonder with the keeping and batting gloves and then Kevin coming in to hammer home the advantage.

 

Off-spinner Kyle McCallan was also impressive, claiming one for 17 off four overs.

 

Ireland were at one stage looking like losing the plot as the Bangladesh spinners, especially left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, did quite a job. But the Phil Simmons-coached Irish kept their nerve.

 

At one stage, the asking rate kept mounting, especially after Niall O’Brien had been dismissed, but Bangladesh had really not done enough during their innings.

 

Niall O’Brien was absolutely in his elements, coming in with 40 vital runs off 25 balls with three boundaries and three sixes, to add to the brilliant stumping in the first innings, while Kevin looked cool with the sledgehammer bat, clattering 39 not out off just 17 balls with four fours and two sixes.

 

The Bangladesh innings was pretty much the same they played against India – lots of aggression and little imagination. Tamim Iqbal got into then act, then departed. As for the rest of the top-order batsmen, it seemed they never had any intentions to stick around and make a fist of it.

 

Skipper Mohammad Ashraful was as erratic as always, 14 balls coming off nine balls before he edged the 10th to slip. One wonders what kind of instructions the Bangladeshis get from their coach, but evidently it is all forgotten in the middle.

 

In fact it took some long-handle from Mashrafe Mortaza at the end of the innings to get Bangladesh to something even resembling a decent total. He carted 20 runs off the20th over, to finish at 33 not out off 16 balls with a boundary and two sixes.

 

But the rest was all poor, and Bangladesh have little to complain about. They as much did themselves in as the Irish.