The first match of the three-match series between Bangladesh and Ireland has been abandoned due to rain, which also marked the end of Cricket World’s record for the year. South Africa has secured their place in the Cup. Ireland needed a win to have a shot at securing a place in the final automatic qualifiers of the World Cup. The ICC ODI Superleague could have given them an edge over Protea.
Rain interrupted Bangladesh’s reply to 246-9 in the match. Ireland was at 65-3 after 16.3 overs when rain stopped play at around 4:45 pm local time at Chelmsford. Mushfiqur Rahim was the top scorer with 61 off Nazir Hossein Shunt adding 44 and Twid Hridoy hitting 27 on 31 balls while Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals. Josh Little had his best bowling figure of 3-61 in 5 overs.
Harry Tecter was not out at 21 when paired with Lorcan Tucker (2) with Ireland needing to play more than 20 overs to get the result. The match was held at the homeground of English county team Essex. The upcoming matches in the series could play a crucial role in determining the qualifiers for the Cricket World Cup in India to be held in October-November.