Ireland Women completed an historic 3-0 clean sweep with a dramatic penultimate ball victory over Bangladesh in the third T20I of the three-match series today.
After captain Gaby Lewis called correctly at the toss for the fifth time in a row, Bangladesh was asked to bat first in this final match of the tour. The home side immediately showed a positive intent with the openers scoring 33 from the first 25 balls. However, an Orla Prendergast slower ball induced a false stroke by Murshida Khatun (12), who could only pop the ball up on the leg side. Prendergast reacted quickly in her follow through and dived forward, grasping the ball millimetres above the turf.
At the halfway stage of the Bangladesh innings the run rate was a healthy 7.90 runs per over, with the Asian side looking on track for a 170+ score. Ireland’s bowlers, though, had other ideas.
Aimee Maguire (2-25) began the fightback, with a career-best 4-22 by Prendergast slamming the brakes on the Bangladesh scoring rate to finish on just 123-7 from their 20 overs.
Prendergast finishes the three-match T20I series with 10 wickets with returns of 3-24, 3-13 and 4-22, underscoring her increasing effectiveness with the ball in this format.
With 124 the target, Amy Hunter (28) and Gaby Lewis (20) sprang into action, taking 47 off the powerplay – the pair’s 50-partnership coming off just 39 balls.
Shortly after, both batters were back in the pavilion and the Bangladesh bowlers sensed a way back into the contest.
With the home team’s spinners tightening the screws, the Irish run rate dropped dramatically – wickets tumbled and the boundaries dried up as the modest target began to look a more challenging target than initially thought.
However, with 15 needed from the last over, up stepped Laura Delany (36*), striking three consecutive boundaries in the last over to get Ireland home with one ball to spare.
Ireland Women have now completed their first-ever multi-format tour of Bangladesh, finishing with an historic 3-0 T20I series win. The squad will be back on the road in January when they tour India for three ODIs.
MATCH SUMMARY
Bangladesh Women v Ireland Women, 3rd T20I, Sylhet, 9 December 2024
Bangladesh 123-7 (20 overs; S Mostary 45; O Prendergast 4-22)
Ireland 124-6 (19.5 overs; L Delany 36*; R Khan 2-17)
Ireland won by 4 wickets
