Sylhet (Bangladesh), March 18 (IANS) Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan became the third cricketer to achieve the rare double landmark of 7000 runs and 300 wickets as Bangladesh thrashed Ireland by 183 runs in the first match of the three-match ODI series here on Saturday.
Shakib 89-ball 93, hitting nine fours in the process and with Towhid Hridoy smashing an identical 85-ball 92, Bangladesh raced to 338/8 in 50 overs, their biggest total in this format.
Spinner Ebadot Hossain claimed 4-42 off 6.5 overs while Nasum Ahmed claimed 3-43 as Bangladesh bundled out Ireland for 144 in 30.5 overs as the hosts recorded their biggest win in ODIs in terms of runs.
Coming in at number five after Bangladesh found themselves in a bit of bother at 81/3 against Ireland during the first ODI, Shakib went on to score his third ODI fifty in a row.
Upon reaching 24 in his innings, Shakib touched the feat of 7000 ODI runs. Thus, he became only the third cricketer after Sanath Jayasuriya (13430 runs, 323 wickets) and Shahid Afridi (8064 runs, 395 wickets) to reach 7000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs.
After Tamim Iqbal (8146), Shakib is only the second Bangladesh player to score 7000 ODI runs for his team. The all-rounder picked his 300th ODI wicket in the recently concluded ODI series against England.
He found an able partner in Hridoy as they shared a 135-run stand in double-quick time as Bangladesh raced towards a big total. Hridoy struck eight boundaries and two sixes in his superb innings.
He added 80 runs for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim (44 off 26) as Bangladesh posted their highest score in this format after Ireland won the toss and elected to field first.
Ireland got off to a good start in the big chase as Stephen Doheny (34) and Paul Stirling (22) raised 60 runs for the first wicket partnership before they both departed in quick succession. Harry Tector too departed soon as Ireland slumped to 68/3. It became 76/5 soon as skipper Andy Balbirnie (5), Tector (3) and Lorcan Tucker (6) got out for single-digit scores. George Dockrell top scored with 45 off 47 balls but with wickets falling from the other end, Ireland were bowled out for 155. This was Bangladesh’s biggest win.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 338/8 in 50 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 93, Hridoy 92, Graham Hume 4-60) beat Ireland 155 all out in 30.5 overs (Dockrell 45, Doheny 34, Ebadot Hossain 4-42) by 183 runs.
–IANS
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