Ireland will bank on history, not their recent form when they take on Bangladesh in a crucial ICC World Twenty20 qualifier in Dharamsala today, said batsman Garry Wilson.
The Irish have lost three of their last four Twenty20 internationals, respectively against Papua New Guinea, UAE and Oman, coming into the crunch match against the Tigers.The two-wicket loss against Oman, who were making their debut on a global stage, on Wednesday, came as a body blow for the Irish side as it put them in a must win situation against Bangladesh.
Ireland enjoyed some remarkable success against Bangladesh when they beat the side in World Cup 2007 and ICC World Twenty20 in 2009. The three-match series in Ireland in 2012 were also closely contested though the Irish lost all three matches.
‘There have been times when we have beaten Bangladesh,’ said vice-captain Wilson. ‘The games have always been pretty close…we’ve got good records in World Cups and have big players.’
Ireland produced some of the biggest shocks in the World Cup, most notably against Pakistan in 2007, against England in 2011 and against West Indies in 2015.
Having seen their back already on the wall in this tournament, Wilson said they will be inspired from the past results.
‘We’ve been in bad situations before and come out on top,’ he said. ‘We know they have a pretty good side and they’re improving but we’re up for it. We have two games now with nowhere else to go other than pick ourselves up.
‘It’s obviously a must win game. We have to win two but take one at a time.’
Oman’s win against Ireland means they not only have to beat Bangladesh now but also have to wait for the other results to come to their favour.
Though Bangladesh are clear favourites to win the group and progress through to the next round, Ireland have the chance to throw the group open with a win and net run rate may become a crucial factor.
‘If one team wins all three games, it’s fair enough and they deserve to go through,’ said Wilson. ‘But if the group pans out the way everyone thinks it might, then the chances are that no team might win three games. So we have to be ready with the run rate.’
-With New Age input