Ireland pacer Mark Adair feels that their taking early wickets in the powerplay made the major difference in the third and last T20I against Bangladesh.
Ireland avoided a whitewash against Bangladesh after they registered a seven-wicket win over the hosts in the third match of the three-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Friday.
Shamim Hossain then made the highest 51 off 42 balls but Bangladesh could only score 124 runs in 19.2 overs before Ireland chased down the target comfortably with six overs to spare. “I think taking wickets in the powerplay today made a big difference,” Adair, who finished with 3-25, told reporters after the match.
Adair also praised skipper Paul Stirling for his brilliant innings of 77 off 41 balls while he also hailed bowlers for their first win over the Tigers in Bangladesh. “Stirlo is world-class. He has been for the last 10 years. He will continue to be for as long as he plays. He has led the side pretty well in Balbirnie’s absence,” said Adair.
“I thought Humphreys bowled well today. I thought Whitey’s been excellent, so to actually celebrate all that success as well, it’s been really nice,” he added.