THE SECOND one-day international between Bangladesh and Ireland was called off due to rain in Sylhet on Monday after the home side posted their highest-ever ODI total.

The rain prevented Ireland from starting their innings after the hosts reached 349-6 thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim’s century, the fastest ODI ton by a Bangladeshi batsman.

Match officials called the game off shortly after 8:30 pm (2030 GMT) with no prospect of the weather improving at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh, fresh from beating England 3-0 in T20s, are 1-0 up in the series with one match remaining on Thursday.

Mushfiqur was unbeaten on 100 off just 60 balls, while Najmul Hossain and Liton Das added 73 and 70 runs respectively.

This helped the hosts break their record of 338-8 set in only the previous match, which they won by 183 runs.

Sent in to bat first, Bangladesh began cautiously in slightly overcast conditions before Liton and skipper Tamim Iqbal grew in confidence to put on 42 runs.

Tamim was run out for 23 with a direct throw from Mark Adair before Liton and Najmul added 101 runs for the second wicket.

Graham Hume, Ireland’s most successful bowler with 3-58, removed Shakib Al Hasan (17) and Najmul in successive overs after Curtis Campher took the wicket of Liton.

However, Mushfiqur and Towhid Hridoy then took the bowling by storm to add 128 runs in just 13 overs for the fifth wicket.

Towhid fell for 49 but Mushfiqur continued his terrific batting to bring up his ninth ODI hundred with a single on the last ball of the innings.

He broke Shakib’s record of a 63-ball hundred against Zimbabwe in 2009.

Mushfiqur also became the third Bangladeshi to reach 7,000 ODI runs, after teammates Tamim and Shakib.

The matches are useful practice on South Asian pitches for Ireland ahead of the ODI World Cup in India later this year, for which they are yet to qualify.

– © AFP 2023