Ireland’s cricket team has arrived in Bangladesh to play a two-match Test and three-match T20 series. The first Test will begin tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10 a.m. at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
Before the start of the series, both captains spoke at an official press conference on Monday.
Irish captain Andrew Balbirnie issued a bold statement ahead of the series. This is only the second Test series in Ireland’s history, and they are determined to make it historic by handing Bangladesh a defeat. Ireland aims to record their first-ever win against a team that plays in the World Test Championship.
Balbirnie said,
“Bangladesh plays in the World Test Championship and regularly faces quality opponents. We usually play against Afghanistan or Zimbabwe, so playing against a side of this quality is very important for us. We have never beaten a team that plays in the Test Championship — this time, we want to make history. We didn’t get the desired result before, but we want to achieve it now. It’s exciting — we don’t often play more than one Test match in a series. The last time we did was in Sri Lanka. The boys are passionate and eager to show their skills tomorrow.”
The 34-year-old experienced cricketer added,
“We’ve played here before — even on this very ground. We’ve played a lot of white-ball matches against Bangladesh. We just have to stick to our game plan. Recently, we played against Zimbabwe, so we’re confident. Our batting needs to be disciplined. The last time we played here was in 2023.”
Speaking about the pitch, Balbirnie said,
“We’re not thinking too much about the wicket. It seems there will be a bit of grass. When you play away from home, you can’t control the pitch or conditions — you just have to adapt quickly.
