Two wins in two recent major tournaments are expected to give Ireland an edge over Bangladesh in today’s World Cup tie, which is a must-win match for the Tigers to keep their quarter-finals alive.
Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach and former West Indian batsman, has had some bitter memories against the Tigers in the recent past, which must play in his mind before the crucial Group B clash.
Simmons was the coach of Zimbabwe when they received a 5-0 thrashing in 2005 before his Ireland team were routed 3-0 by the Tigers in 2008. On both occasions all the matches were held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium where Ireland will face Bangladesh today.
So, when everybody was talking about how Bangladesh are going to take their revenge on Ireland for their defeats in the World Cup 2007 and ICC World Twenty20, Simmons was busy showering praise on his opponents.
‘Bangladesh are improving at a good rate and this is a very natural thing because the game is going forward,’ Simmons told New Age on the sideline of Ireland’s practice session on Wednesday. ‘We have also stepped forward with the rhythm and are a much better team now.
‘We played a lot of games in the last two years and especially trained hard for the competition. I hope this time we will play better,’ said 47-year-old Simmons.
The former all-rounder appeared to be wary of Bangladesh’s top-order, which he thinks will be decisive for the outcome of the game.
‘The first 10 overs of the Bangladesh innings will be very crucial for us,’ he said.
‘We will try to send back their top three batsmen within that period, otherwise they will take the game away from us,’ he said.
Courtesy of New Age
