Stalwart batting by the middle due Ahrar Amin and Mohammad Shihab James steered Bangladesh to make a strong comeback defeating Ireland by six wickets in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Monday in Bloemfontein.
After winning the match, Young Tigers are strongly on contest to move into the next round.
Bangladesh captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby after winning the toss asked Ireland to bat first and with combined efforts from bowlers halt them on 236 runs.
Bangladesh reached the winning target losing four wickets and 3.1 overs remaining.
Bangladesh Under-19, who saw huge setback in their opening match after going down to India by a huge 84-run, did not make any blunder in the early stage of their innings as Ashiqur Rahman Shibli and Adil bin Siddik opening pair laid the platform for Bangladesh Under-19s with scoring 90 runs in 23.4 overs.
Bangladesh, who made a change with replacing Adil bin Siddik for Jishan Alam to open the innings, did well with bringing the team to a strong position without any early collapse and their innings was built around century in the opening partnership from opener Ashiqur Rahman Shibli and Adil bin Siddik.
Ashique scored 44 off 60 balls and played 36 balls in his 36 runs innings. Both the openers hit three boundaries each.
But the openers got out in quick succession when Adil Siddik was trapped Lbw by Macbeth with Bangladesh scoreboard reading 90 for one.
Shibli, one of the key batters of Yong tigers, who was the highest scorer in the Asia Cup, left the crease with team reaching to 107.
But one down Chowdhury Rezwan and number four bat Ariful Islam when it looked settled on the crease, backed to the in a span of two runs with team’s 128 and 130 runs. Chowdhury Rezwan was out for 21 off right-arm medium pacer McNally, Ariful scored 13 off 13 balls before offering his wicket to Macbeth and Bangladesh reduced to 130 for four wickets.
At that stage it looked Bangladesh Under-19 were going to fell into big trouble, as Ireland bowlers threatened with taking four wickets to reduce the Young Tigers to 130 for four from 90 for no loss.
Then middle order duo Ahrar Amin and Mohmmad Shihab James played two responsible innings to steered Bangladesh to win the match with bbbb spare and six wickets in hand.
Ahrar and Shihab scored an unbeaten 109-run in fifth wicket partnership giving no chance to their Irish bowler making any damage.
Ahrar scored 45 off 63 balls with hittingthtee boundaries and a six when the team’s highest scorer Shihab played a 55 runs innings from 54 deliveries.
Earlier, Mahfuzr Rahman Rabby, captain of Bangladesh Under-19 team after winning the toss decided to field first against Ireland in their second match and halted them on 235 runs for eight wickets in stipulated 50 overs.
Bangladesh bowlers, who took wickets in regular intervals after departing the opening pair on 226 runs by six overs and reduced them to four for 95 in almost half their innings (24.2 overs) but Kian Hilton stood alone against the all attacks.
Kian, scored 90 runs before Maruf Mridha got him out when Ireland U-19 reached to 219 runs and left only 1.3 overs.
In fact combined efforts from bowlers could stop Ireland on 235, which was not too tough to chase and later on the batters proved it scoring 239 runs by 46.5 overs for four wsickets.