Bangladesh-Ireland ODI series starts with a washout

The opening ODI of the three-match series between Ireland and Bangladesh ended in a no-result due to persistent rain for more than three hours at the venue in Chelmsford, the home ground of English county side Essex. 

With this outcome, Ireland will now have to participate in the qualifying event in Zimbabwe scheduled for June. The tournament will feature 10 teams, including former champions West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, South Africa has secured their place in the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held later this year in India.

Ireland needed to win all the matches in this series to enter the top ten-team of the ODI ranking.

Earlier, the forecast had suggested that the match might be affected by the rain, and it eventually happened. Bangladesh batted first in this match after losing the toss and posted a moderate total of 246, thanks to a fifty from Mushfiqur Rahim. 

In reply, Ireland made a decent start and had reached 65 for three in 16.3 overs before rain played spoilsport.

The result will not affect Bangladesh’s participation in the World Cup, as they have already booked their place in the tournament.

The second and third matches of this series will be played at the same venue on May 12th and 14th, and both matches are scheduled to start at 3:45pm (Bangladesh time), if weather permits.