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Tigers get back lost confidence

Sports Reporter
An uncommon scene prevailed as four members of the Bangladesh team appeared in the post-
match briefing alter their 79-run victory in the third and final one-dayer against Ireland to complete a whitewash at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
The reason behind their turning up in numbers was simple: the Tigers demonstrated their supremacy in all departments during the three-match series against the Irish who stunned them in the Super Eights of the World Cup in West Indies last year.
Tamim Iqbal's maiden one-day century earned him the man-of-the-match award and Shahriar Nafees showed rare signs of consistency by making three consecutive half-centuries while captain Mohammad Ashraful and coach Jamie Siddons appeared mainly to face the obvious question whether playing against a team like Ireland bore any fruit'.
What both skipper and coach
believed was that they have to play against the strong and weak opponents simultaneously to make their progress perfect in the highest level of the game.
Their point was that much has been learned from mistakes made against the higher-ranked sides and it is important to get back lost confidence playing against the lowly sides, mainly the ICC associate members.
"Our top-order clicked in the series as we didn't face 135-145kmph bowling, what we were up against South Africa. But what still impressed me most was the boys stuck to the team plan. 1 think we have to mix placing top and lower ranked opponents because it creates panic if you continuously lose the matches," said Siddons.
. “In my observation the best achievement in the series was that we got back the confidence after losing one tough series after another badly. This kind of series provides us an opportunity to get backconfidence,' echoed Ashraful.
Tamim however was not in a mood to involve himself into this debate, rather he was excited to have achieved the mark in his 27 th
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one-day appearance.
"Hundred is a hundred. I was desperately waiting to feel the taste of a hundred in the international cricket You know I made few hundreds in the domestic competitions but nothing could be compared with this," said Tamim, nephew of former Bangladesh skipper Akram Khan.
"I didn't raise my bat after completing my fifty because my target was to reach the three-digit mark," he said adding that his elder brother Nafis Iqbal asked him on Friday night to get ready for his maiden century.
The dashing left-hander was asked whether he would thank Andre Botha to reach his mark as the medium-pacer slipped a simple catch when he was on 30.
"It's part of the game. You never know it could have been a six if I hit it properly," he said smilingly.
The young Chittagonian praised his opening partner Nafees for the century.
"He (Nafees) asked me to bat till 40-45 overs which helped me to concentrate on my game. I think it's all about confidence which brings you the success," he said.
Nafees was also happy with the outcome as they made 109-run in the opening stand.
"We have been opening the innings for the last one and a half year but could not be successfill at all. We talked to each other even off the field and 1 feel honoured that Tamim praised me for his hundred," said Nafees adding that he always
tries to be consistent in his batting.
The top-order batting, which totally failed against South Africa, once again established one thing that Bangladesh is now far away from the ICC associate members.
And Ireland coach Phil Simmons also believed that.
"I think Bangladesh deserved respect from the cricket pundits because they are a very improving side," said the former West Indies batsman.
SCOREBOARD
Scoreboard of the third and final one-day international between Bangladesh and Ireland at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday:
BANGLADESH
Iqbal c Porterfield b Langford-Smith 129
N afees c Strydom b Cusack 54
AftabbCusack 0
AshrafulcN O'Brien bK O'Brien 22
Shakibc Porterfield b Langford-Smith 7
RaqibuIcNO'BnenbKO'Bnen 2
Mahmudullah notout 49
Mortaza c Porterfield b Langford-Smith 16
Reza not out 0
Extras: (lb-5.w-8.nb-1) 14
Total: (For7wkts in 50 overs) 293
Did not bat Dhiman, Razzak.
Fan of wickets: 1-109,2-109,3-160,4-167,5-178,6-260.7-287
Bowler 0 M R W
Langford-Smith 7 0 53 3
KO'Bnen 9 0 58 2
Botha 6 0 28 0
Johnston 8 0 55 0
McCallan 10 0 52 0
Cusack 8 1 30 2
Thompson 2 0 12 0
IRELAND
Porterfield run out 18
Strydom lbw b Mahmudullah 37
Morgan c Aftab b Mortaza 12
N O'Brien c Aftab b Razzak 70
K O'Brien bShakib 18
Botha run out 2
Cusack run out 11
Johnston run out 0
McCallan c Reza bShakib 17
Thompson st Dhiman b Razzak 2
Langford-Smith not out 13
Extras: (b-3.lb-5.w-6) 14
Total: (All out in 45.3 overs) 214
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-48, 3-87, 4-126, 5-130,6-154.7-154,8-190.9-196,10-214.
Bowler 0 M R W
Mortaza 9 1 32 1
Reza 8 0 37 0
Razzak 8.3 0 50 2
Mahmudullah 10 0 41 1
Shakib 10 1 46 2
Result: Bangladesh won by 79 runs and clinched three-match series 3-0.
Man-of-the-match: Tamim Iqbal. Man-of-the-series: Shahriar Nafees.
Toss: Bangladesh
Umpires: Enamul Haque and TH Wijewardene (Sri Lanka)
Match referee: RS Madugalle (Sn Lanka) Reserve umpire: AF M Akhtaruddm