26 February,2011 07:32 AM IST | | AFP
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was delighted with his team's World Cup win over Ireland yesterday, praising his bowlers after a disappointing batting performance.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful (left)
celebrate yesterday's 27-run win over Ireland at the Sher-e-Bangla
Stadium in Mirpur. Pic/Getty images
Bangladesh were bowled out by minnows Ireland for just 205 in the 50th over of their innings and Ireland looked well placed for victory at 151 for five with plenty of overs remaining. But they kept on losing wickets to a fired-up Bangladesh and fell to 178 all out after 45 overs, sparking wild scenes of delight at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium, packed with 25,000 supporters.
"It was a good game. I thought we played really hard cricket although we didn't bat well. Our bowlers and fielders showed great character and our support was excellent," said Shakib.He said he did not have to motivate his players at the end of the Bangladesh innings because the players themselves were predicting a victory by 20 runs.
"They showed their character actually. It was a really hard game for us and the ball wasn't doing that much but I thought our bowlers did really well," he said.He said he was looking forward to the rest of the tournament, adding: "From here we can only improve ourselves." Tamim Iqbal, who scored 44, was man of the match.
Disappointed Irish skipper William Porterfield said a poor batting display cost his side a crucial win. "It's not hard to work out where we lost the game. We never settled down with the bat. The first 50 overs was pretty good. You can't afford that many soft dismissals."
