In the ongoing triangular series in Ireland, the third ODI would feature the home team taking on Bangladesh. While Ireland got walloped in the first ODI of the series by West Indies, the Bangladeshi team registered a reassuring win against the Caribbean unit. Let's have a quick run through five things that you need to keep your eyes peeled for.
Ireland need to get back on track
For Ireland, the last few months have been difficult. They lost a series to Afghanistan in India and gave away a very advantageous position in the match against England on May 3 to succumb to a 4-wicket loss. In order to prove their worthiness, they badly need a win over a major Test side. The biggest problem is how they would revive their bowlers' confidence after suffering the hammering from West Indies.
Opportunities for youngsters
Having easily sauntered to victory while chasing a modest target in their first game of the series, Bangladesh would be high on confidence. Since, this series is basically a warm-up for the World Cup, it would be interesting to see if opportunities are given to some fringe players like Farhad Reza and Nayeem Hasan. Though these two are unlikely to make it to the World Cup squad, having them perform well wouldn't hurt the Asian side and could act as further motivation to the current group of bowlers.
Pressure on William Porterfield
Any side whose captain is struggling to find form is bound to struggle. The same seems to be happening with Ireland. William Porterfield endured a miserable time during the series against Afghanistan in India. He failed in all five matches and then also couldn't register a decent score against England. He can't sustain this sequence of failures for too long, otherwise, his place in the team may be in serious danger.
Focus on spinners
Bangladesh would have been highly encouraged by the performance of Mehidy Hasan Miraj. He is the only frontline spinner in the World Cup squad and hasn't been very effective away from home. The fact that he just conceded 38 runs in his 10 overs while getting the first breakthrough would have reassured the team management about his worth. With Shakib also finding form, the spin department seems well-endowed.
Kevin and Balbirnie in focus
On the batting front, veteran Kevin O'Brian showed good form in the first ODI. He has support from the likes of Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie. The latter did especially well against Afghanistan while Kevin is now a veteran who played beautifully in the game against England. These two have to play well in order to give their team a chance.
