Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie admitted they will “have to bat much better” if they are to rescue the one-day international series against Bangladesh in Sylhet after slumping to a 183 runs defeat in yesterday’s first game.

It was the Tigers’ biggest margin of victory and their total of 338 for eight was also their highest in ODIs — it also made the top 10 of the biggest totals against Ireland.Facing a country which has just completed six-match white ball series with world champions England — winning the T20Is 3-0 — it was always going to be difficult for Ireland players at the end of their first week here after a seven-week break from action.

Stephen Doheny and Paul Stirling had offered hope in an opening stand of 60 but after that only George Dockrell, with his usual late defiance, offered any resistance as the Bangladesh pacemen, rather than their high-profile spinners caused the damage.

With the ball, Waringstown’s Graham Hume was the pick, his three late wickets giving him first four-wicket haul for Ireland but generally all were too inconsistent in their line and length with the three slow bowlers going for 142 runs in their 24 overs, Andy McBrine the only wicket-taker.

Harry Tector had actually bowled his first four overs for just 14 runs but when he returned, with Shakib al Hasan and ODI debutant Towhid Hridoy in full flow, he was hit for 22. That put Bangladesh in control and only Hume’s wickets halted an even more imposing total.

As a result, Balbirnie was able to say afterwards: “We weren’t too disappointed at the halfway stage, but after a good start to the chase we lost a cluster of wickets. They were better than us but we have another crack on Monday but will have to bat better than we did today if we want to compete.”

It was Hume who denied Shakib, caught behind chasing a wide yorker, and Hridoy, bowled by a beauty, their centuries, but the tail still wagged and scored 41 off the last four overs.

The contest was over long before the Ireland tail got to the middle with Ireland going from 60 for no wicket to 76 for five in the space of six overs.

Doheny was first to go, nicking Shakib to the keeper, but the next four wickets all fell to pace. Stirling, after passing 11,000 runs for Ireland with a six, top edged a pull to the wicket-keeper and Harry Tector, then, finally ‘failed’ in an ODI, edging a drive to Mushfiqur, the third of his five catches.

Ireland pride themselves on batting deep but two wickets in successive maiden overs by Taskin Ahmed ended all hope. Admittedly they were two balls which would have got many top class batters out and this time Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker were the unlucky ones to be on the end of them.

Returning for a second spell, the opening bowler ripped through the defence of Balbirnie to send his middle stump cartwheeling and four balls later had Lorcan Tucker caught at slip off a superb lifting ball.

George Dockrell, inevitably, refused to surrender and was last man out for 45 from just 47 balls, including six fours, but it was all in vain as Bangladesh made it five wins from five ODIs at ‘lucky Sylhet’.

​Summary
Bangladesh 338-8 (Shakib Al Hasan 93, Towhid Hridoy 92, Mushfiqur Rahim 44; G Hume 4-60, A McBrine 1-47, C Campher 1-57, M Adair 1-76)
Ireland 155 ( Dockrell 45, S Doheny 34, P Stirling 22, L Tucker 16, M Adair 13; Ebadot Hossain 4-42, Nasum Ahmed 3-43).
Bangladesh won by 183 runs and lead three-match series 1-0