Bangladesh women secure whitewash against Ireland

Just as in the first two matches of the series in Mirpur, the Bangladesh women's cricket team comfortably clinched victory in the final match today. After winning the toss and opting to bat, Ireland's captain Gaby Lewis scored a half-century (52 off 79 balls), guiding her team to 185 before being bowled out on the last ball of their innings. In response, Bangladesh chased down the target with 75 balls to spare, winning by seven wickets.

However, considering the strong second-wicket partnership between opener Fargana Hoque and Sharmin Akter, one could argue that the victory margin should have been nine wickets.

The biggest takeaway for the Bangladesh women's team from this series has been their newfound batting consistency. Historically, batting has been their Achilles' heel—be it hitting big shots or rotating the strike effectively. This was evident in their previous ODI series against Australia in March, where they failed to cross the 100-run mark in any of the three matches, scoring 95, 97, and 89.

In contrast, in this series against Ireland, Bangladesh recorded their highest-ever ODI score of 252 in the first match, securing a 154-run victory—also their biggest winning margin. The second ODI saw Bangladesh chasing 193 with ease, winning by five wickets with 6.1 overs to spare, which sealed the series. Today's seven-wicket victory completed a 3-0 sweep. Bangladesh women had previously managed a whitewash in a three-match ODI series only once before, against Zimbabwe in November 2021.

Sharmin Akter's Remarkable Comeback

Sharmin Akter deserves special mention for her consistent performance with the bat. She narrowly missed a century in the first ODI, scoring 96, followed by 43 in the second match, and a brilliant 72 off 88 balls in today's game.

Her innings today included 11 boundaries before she fell to a catch off Maguire, attempting a down-the-wicket shot. Sharmin's resurgence can be linked to the overall improvement in Bangladesh's batting or viewed as the catalyst for it. Dropped from the team after poor form in 2022, she worked with assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin to refine her batting technique. Her hard work has clearly paid off in this series.

Contributions from Fargana Hoque and Nigar Sultana

Openers Fargana Hoque and captain Nigar Sultana also contributed significantly to Bangladesh's batting success. Fargana scored 61, 50, and 61 in the three matches. Her 141-run partnership with Sharmin in the second wicket today put Bangladesh in a commanding position.

Although Sharmin and Fargana departed in quick succession, the team was already on the brink of victory. Nigar Sultana, who scored 28 and 40 in the first two matches, remained unbeaten on 18 today, sealing the win alongside Sobhana Mostary.

Bowling Remains a Strength

While batting improvements have grabbed the spotlight, Bangladesh's bowling unit, their traditional strength, continued to shine. The spin trio of Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, and Swarna Akter effectively kept the Irish batters in check.

Fahima, who went wicketless in the first two matches, was the standout bowler today, taking 3 wickets for 43 runs. Off-spinner Sultana Khatun maintained her economical spell, conceding just 29 runs in 10 overs while picking up 2 wickets.

This dominant series win not only highlights Bangladesh's growth as a competitive unit but also sets the tone for future challenges.