|| CF DESK ||

Ireland women may be touring Bangladesh for their first bilateral series but they have met five other times, with Bangladesh winning two, Ireland one, and the other two matches ending as no-results. Statistically, and in terms of conditions and team strength, Bangladesh holds a significant advantage.

The three-match ODI series is set to begin on Wednesday, with Bangladesh aiming to capitalize on Ireland’s inexperience in subcontinental conditions.

Historically, Mirpur’s wickets are known to be slow and spin-friendly, a factor that strongly favors Bangladesh’s bowling attack, which is heavily reliant on its spinners.

With off-spinners, left-arm spinners, and leg-spinners in the squad, Bangladesh has enough firepower to trouble the Irish batters. Additionally, teams from outside the subcontinent often struggle on such surfaces, a vulnerability Bangladesh aims to exploit.

At the pre-match press conference, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty emphasized the home advantage.

"Ireland’s wins have mostly come in their home conditions. They lack experience in these conditions and have a low winning percentage here. Our head-to-head record also favors us. Playing at home gives any team an edge, and we aim to use that to our advantage," Joty said.

"If you look at our recent series, we’ve performed well against most teams at home, except Australia. However, there’s no room for complacency. This is a crucial series for us, and every match is valuable. We need to secure all six points and play with authority," she added.

Despite thorough preparations, Bangladesh’s batting department has often faltered, costing them matches. However, Joty expressed optimism about her team’s top-order batters. She singled out Fargana Hoque Pinky for her impressive ODI record and also praised Murshida Khatun and senior batter Sharmin Akhter Supta for their contributions.

“Batting has been a visible problem for us. Often, our top-order fails, putting extra pressure on the middle-order. In modern cricket, you can’t afford to rely on recovering from early setbacks. Senior players need to step up and take responsibility,” Joty remarked.