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Tigers face off Ireland to complete ‘mission whitewash’


Published : 30 Mar 2023 08:49 PM

After wrapping up the series, Tigers will face off Ireland with the mission of celebrating the whitewash after winning the last off three-match T20 series to be held today at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram.  

The Tigers’ captain Shakib does not suffering from self-satisfaction, ahead of the last T20 match, despite securing the series after outclassing the Ireland in the two previous matches, as he said in the post-match press meet on Wednesday, “There is no way of us being complacent.If you’re a good team, when you go to Australia or England, they always try to win 3-0 if they’re up 2-0, we'll try the same.”

The Number 1 all-rounder in the ICC T20 ranking Shakib, who was the architect to demolish the Irish with his brilliant all-round performances in the second T20, with taking five wickets for 22 and scored unbeaten 38 off 24 balls in the post-match press conference at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, in Chattogram also said, “We will do our duty what necessary to remain on the right track.” 

Shakib also tipped off that there might be some changes in the squad in the last match when some of the players, who are waiting in the dressing room and eager to play, will have opportunity to play today. 

“Might be we will field some new players in the last match, but they are also hungry as we are to score runs and to take wickets,” said Shakib. 

Shakib replying to a query also expressed his intention to be the top ranked team in the world at least in this format when he said that they have tried to execute their plan of playing aggressive brand of cricket as a great side always expose them from the ball one in this format. 

“We wanted to put up the same performance we did in the past few games and we did it well. If we want to be a great side, we have to go out there and convey ourselves from ball one, that’s what we reviewed and agreed that’s how we're going to play.”

Shakib when scored 38 and claimed five wickets, was also the fourth time that he scored more than 20 runs and captured four wickets in a T20 international, the highest by any player when Indian Hardik Pandya comes next to him in this regard as the pace-bowling all-rounder scored 20-plus runs and taken four wickets in this format for three times.

As the captain has been leading the team from front, it is predictably expected that all the players are very much responsive to keep up their momentum.

Meanwhile, Ireland team, who have now left only the chance to avoid the whitewash with winning the last match, will also try heart and soul at least to escape from the back to back embarrassing defeats, as the Ireland skipper Paul Stirling hinted.  

The stand in captain Stirlingsaid on Wednesday that they didn't think that the battle would be such one sided but he vowed to comeback strongly.

“We have a lot to work on and have a think about it tomorrow (Thursday) and will try and come back stronger in the next game. You have to take every game as it comes, it wouldn’t have made a big difference if we went out there trying to put on a show,hopefully we'll be one step ahead. I think they’re a very strong team, we probably didn't think it was going to be this one-sided.”