Ireland (IRE) will be hosting Bangladesh (BAN) in the first ODI match at Chelmsford's County Ground on Tuesday, May 9. Both teams will play three-match ODI series in Chelmsford after facing each other in Bangladesh in March. Also, this will be the last series of the ICC'S ODI Super League to determine the last spot in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Ireland are currently 11th in the points table and they need to win the series by 3-0 and one or two games by a big margin as well to earn direct qualification to World Cup. Bangladesh have already secured a spot in the World Cup and a win in any game will force Bangladesh to play qualifiers. South Africa will secure the remaining spot if Bangladesh win this series, so all eyes will be on this fixture in Chelmsford. The venue is hosting its first ODI match in 24 years, last played during the 1999 World Cup. So, it will be interesting to see how the pitch turns out for this crucial game on Tuesday.
Pitch Report: IRE vs BAN
The pitch at Chelmsford's County Ground offers a bowling-friendly surface in white-ball cricket. The venue has one of the smallest grounds in County cricket and teams have posted six 300-plus totals in the last eight 50-over domestic matches. But in international matches, the average first innings score here is just 205 from eight ODIs. The surface favors seam bowlers and provides good help with swing and bounce.
Will Toss Matter?
Yes, it will. In eight ODI matches, teams batting first have won five matches as the second innings average dips to just 140. The successful highest chase record here is just 134 runs, so, teams will prefer batting first on Tuesday.
County Ground, Chelmsford - The Numbers Game
Basic ODI Stats
- Total matches: 8
- Matches won batting first: 5
- Matches won bowling first: 3
Average ODI Stats
- Average 1st Innings scores: 205
- Average 2nd Innings scores: 140
Score Stats for ODI matches
- Highest total recorded - 273/8 (50 Ov) by ENG-w vs SA-W
- Lowest scored recorded - 98/10 (34.5 Ov) by SA-W vs ENG-W
- Highest score chased - 134/1 (27.0 Ov) by ENG vs AUS
- Lowest score defended - 233/6 (50.0 Ov) by ZIM vs RSA
Full Squads -
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling, Stephen Doheny, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker(w), Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Craig Young
Bangladesh Squad: Paul Stirling, Stephen Doheny, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker(w), Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Craig Young