Batters show rare consistency for Tigresses

For the second successive game, Bangladesh women's team batters showcased a level of consistency that is usually missing from them and guided the team to a five-wicket win in the second WODI against Ireland to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Mirpur yesterday.

The Tigresses typically bank on their spinners to topple opponents in home conditions while their batting, which has become over-reliant on skipper Nigar Sultana Joty in the last few years, often ends up being the cause behind defeats.

But in the ongoing series against Ireland, the batters have been at the forefront for the hosts.

After scoring their highest ever WODI score of 252-4 in the series opener on November 27, Bangladesh batters once again created history yesterday by completing their highest successful run chase in the format in home soil, reaching 197-5 in 43.5 overs.

Opener Fargana Hoque struck her second half-century of the series, making the highest 50 off 89 balls after scoring 61 off 110 in the series opener.

Sharmin Akhter Supta, who has returned to the national side after 16 months, made 43 in the match on the back of the 96 she had scored in the first WODI.

Skipper Joty also chipped in with a 39-ball 40 as the hosts clinched a series victory in this format after one year.

Joty was glad to see the batters scoring runs in consecutive games, something she had demanded from them before the second WODI.

"Today [Saturday] in the morning, I told the cricketers that it's important to be consistent. I told them to score runs just like they had done in the first game," the Bangladesh skipper told reporters after the match.

"Batting was our most visible problem, because of which we were losing many matches. So, it's a matter of great relief for the team to see the batters' scoring runs," she said, adding that their challenge is now to deliver a similar batting performance in the series-concluding contest, scheduled at the same venue on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ireland skipper Gaby Lewis credited Amy Hunter (68) and Orla Prendergast (37) for their 91-run third wicket stand which helped the visitors post 194-6, a stark improvement from the first match where they were bundled out for only 98.

"How we batted, we adapted well. We put together partnerships, which was great. Orla and Amy did brilliantly in the middle period for us, putting up that big partnership which gave us a competitive total, I thought.

Overall, the series so far has been a learning experience for the Irish team, said the skipper.

"This series is definitely a learning experience for us. Especially as we are such a young team. If you look at our spinners, they are quite young compared to other teams that come out here. There are lot of lessons to be learnt," she concluded.