Gaby Lewis will be looking for a big improvement from Ireland when their three-match T20 series starts against Bangladesh in Sylhet on Thursday after a humbling 3-0 loss in the ODI World Championship.
After two failures, skipper Lewis came good with a top score of 52 in the dead rubber yesterday but the Girls in Green again found fast scoring difficult against the hosts’ predominantly spin attack and were bowled out for 185 in 50 overs.
The big three of Lewis, Amy Hunter and Orla Prendergast built a solid platform of 97-2 from 28 overs but Ireland failed to better the 193-6 they posted in the second match, and Bangladesh romped to a seven-wicket win with 12.3 overs to spare.
The whitewash leaves Ireland adrift at the bottom of the 10-team World Championship table, with three wins from 21 games.
With victory margins of 154 runs and five wickets in the opening two games, Bangladesh are clearly superior over the longer distance but with Prendergast improving with every game after her Big Bash stint, the visitors are not without hope in the T20s.