Nothing slack about the Irish performance, though. Trent Johnston won the toss and chose to bat first. It was a brave decision, but his openers stuck it out for a 93-run opening partnership that put them well on their way to an extremely competitive 243/7. A well-compiled 85 at the top of the order from William Porterfield and a fiery 48 from Kevin O’Brien at the end saw the Irish take the wind out of the Bangladeshi sails. Of course, the Bangla fielders didn’t help their bowlers with some poor fielding and put about three catches down.
For Ireland, though, this is a day they will never forget. Trent Johnston’s men played unlike minnows and executed a plan far better than their senior opponents. And the reward? A spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship table. They will move up from the ICC Associate ODI Rankings after defeating two full members (Pakistan and Bangladesh), in accordance with the qualification regulations.
One doubts if they could have written the script any better! For Habibul Bashar, there is one more match in which to salvage some pride. But after this display, it is highly unlikely that they will beat the West Indies. For this match, though, it has to be said that Bangladesh won the battle of being the minnows while Ireland won the match.
On praising his team's effort against Bangladesh
'I'm pleased with the level of effort the guys put in because it was a first-class effort from a team that deserves to be playing this level of cricket. We had to bounce back from the disappointment against Australia when a lot of people were saying a lot of things about us. We had a good chat after that game and we set new goals,'
Bangladesh captain, Habibul Bashar
On their overall performance in the World Cup
"It's very much frustrating for me," "We've done a very good job in this World Cup so far by beating two big teams (India and South Africa). "One day we look brilliant and the next we are ordinary. We need to be more consistent."
On finishing last in Super Eight Standings
"It looks like we are going to be number eight (in the Super Eights) after this match and we had hoped we would be sixth or seventh," "I must give credit to Ireland though. They played very well and put us under pressure."
