Bangladesh v Ireland

Bangladesh v Ireland, Group B, World Cup 2011, Mirpur

Shafiul secures Bangladesh vital victory

Mohammad Ashraful

Bangladesh's bowlers held their nerve to atone for the failures of their batsman, as the pluck of the Irish proved insufficient to overcome the most fervent atmosphere of the World Cup so far. In a gripping, low-scoring encounter at Mirpur, Bangladesh flirted with disaster as they squandered a flying start from Tamim Iqbal to crash to 205 all out, and when Ireland reached 93 for 3 at the halfway mark of their reply, they were well on course for a hugely deserved victory. However, six wickets for the Bangladeshi spin quartet set the stage for a flying finish from Shafiul Islam, who claimed 4 for 21 in eight hostile and reverse-swinging overs, to seal a wildly acclaimed victory by 27 runs with five overs to spare.

The result was tough on the Irish who, like the Netherlands earlier in the week, gave the match their all and deserved a Test-playing scalp as their reward. But the belief and unity of the Bangladeshis had to be seen to be believed, as they dusted themselves down after a chastising performance with the bat, and set about defending their meagre total with skill, tenacity and some sublime commitment in the field. Mohammad Ashraful, whose mercurial batting once again let him down when the heat was on, proved a revelation with the ball, as his spin-bowling all-sorts picked up two vital wickets inside the first 19 overs, and whose subsequent celebrations imbued both his team-mates - and perhaps more crucially, a rammed and expectant Mirpur crowd - with belief.

There will be many higher-profile fixtures than this in the coming weeks, but few could prove as pivotal to the fortunes of two teams who exceeded expectations four years ago in reaching the Super Eights in the Caribbean. Ireland's hopes of playing in the 2015 tournament hinge on their ability to produce this sort of performance in each of their next five matches, to convince the ICC that they deserve their place at the top table, but more immediately, Bangladesh's victory gives them a real chance of pushing for a quarter-final place that their form in home internationals suggest could be attainable.

Full report to follow

25 overs Ireland 95 for 4 (N O'Brien 35*, K O'Brien 2*) need another 111 to beat Bangladesh 205 (Botha 3-32, Johnston 3-40) v 

Bangladesh's battery of slow bowlers mounted a spirited defence of their substandard total of 205, claiming four key wickets in the first 25 overs to reduce Ireland to 95 for 4 at the halfway mark of their run-chase. However, with the experienced campaigner Niall O'Brien still entrenched on 35, the Irish remained favourites to come out on top in a fascinating and potentially crucial Group B encounter at Mirpur.

Following on from the success of Ireland's slower bowlers, in particular the spinner George Dockrell, Bangladesh responded in kind, giving a solitary over to their seamer Shafiul Islam before turning to the spin pairing of Abdur Razzak and Naeem Islam. The tactic paid dividends in the sixth over of the innings, when Paul Stirling yorked himself while advancing to Razzak, and was stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim as the ball dribbled off the pads and past his off stump.

With the pressure intense in spite of the small target, Ireland's captain, Will Porterfield, set himself to make the most of every scoring opportunity. He had launched the innings in confident style with a second-ball drive off Shafiul through point, and he added a second four when Naeem dropped short at the end of his third over. But Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's captain and senior spinner, struck with his first delivery, as Porterfield attempted a flick off the back foot, and instead popped a simple catch to Raqibul Hasan at short midwicket.

O'Brien, however, was the right man to enter the fray. He was the hero of a tense run-chase in Jamaica four years ago, when Ireland stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, and two fours in the same Shakib over were the perfect tonic for his team's frayed nerves. In partnership with the England veteran, Ed Joyce, he picked off the singles and gnawed away at the target, before Joyce, on 16, attempted to drive against the spin, and popped a simple chance to Mohammad Ashraful.

Ashraful celebrated as if the match was already won, which it self-evidently was not at 75 for 3 in the 19th over. However, the belief in the Bangladesh team was picked up on by the crowd, and the roof was raised six overs later, when Andrew White, on 10, played a lazy pushed drive from deep in the crease to be bowled through the gate. It was a dismissal that increased the Irish jitters ten-fold, but with O'Brien still strong, the match was still theirs for the taking.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo