Shamima Sultana's innings helps Bangladesh lead series 2-0

After the last ball thriller in the 1st T20I which they eventually lost, Ireland was up there to level the series. It started well for them as they won the toss and elected to bat first. Ireland made one change; Murray made her way for Metcalfe. Bangladesh team remained unchanged.

Cecelia Joyce and Clare Shillington opened the innings but Jahanara Alam halted the way by picking up 2 crucial wickets. She bowled out Shillington in 3rd over followed by taking Gaby Lewis' wicket in 5th over.

Ireland gave their best to reconstruct the innings, with the help of Cecelia Joyce and Laura Delany. But Bangladesh vice-captain Rumana Ahmed got the much-needed breakthrough in 13th over of the innings. She bagged the wicket of Irish skipper Delany 20(28).

Cecelia Joyce kept calm at one end scoring her maiden half-century in T20Is as wickets kept tumbling at the other end as Ireland posted a score of 124 on the board. Jahanara Alam was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh taking 2 wickets for 15 with Nahida Akter also bagging a couple of wickets.

It was not a very big total considering Bangladesh's steady batting line-up. Ayasha Rahman and Shamima Sultana started the innings for the Asia Cup champions and put on 21 before the former lost her wicket to the returning Ciara Metcalfe. Fargana Hoque joined Sultana as they put up a partnership of 75 for the second wicket. Shamima Sultana scored her 2nd fifty in International T20s.

After the loss of Shamima, even Hoque lost her wicket to Delany. Ahmed and Nigar didn't hold their own at the crease for long and threw their wickets in quick successions. Bangladesh certainly love last over thrillers and they again took a rather easy total to the final over before Islam hit a maximum off the first ball of the final over to take her side home.

Bangladesh won the game by 4 wickets and take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series.