Bangladesh will confront Windies in the final of Walton tri-nation series in Dublin today (Friday). The match is scheduled to start at 3:45 pm. Bangladesh have qualified to the final by being the table topper, after winning 3 out of their 4 games with one being washed out due to rain. On the other hand, Windies qualified to the final by dint of their two wins against hosts Ireland. They lost the other two matches to the Tigers.
Bangladesh will undoubtedly be the favorites to win today’s final. Bangladesh will try to continue their winning spree and bolster their confidence by winning the final.Tigers were superior to their opponents in every department of the game, throughout the series. Batting improved vastly. Top order batsmen performed consistently. Bowlers also got their act together and restricted opponents to low totals. Fielding however was not up to the mark and team management will try to rectify or improve that aspect of the game.
Today’s Tigers starting eleven will be interesting. Four changes were made in the last match as Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman made way for Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin and Rubel Hossain. It is expected that all four players who were rested in the previous match might be included in today’s lineup.
In the last match, seamer Abu Jayed Rahi’s first five-wicket haul in only his second ODI coupled with fifties from Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan led Bangladesh to a six-wicket win and kept Ireland winless in the tri-series. Shakib however, had to leave the field with injury. Shakib left the field after sustaining strain on his left side while batting on 50. His pain had recurred after he pulled a short ball off Joshua Little. However, the good news is, the injury is not a major concern as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Wednesday.
Winning today’s final against Windies will make the Tigers camp upbeat ahead of the World Cup. It will be a huge confidence booster for the team before departing for England.