Tector brothers and Humphreys stun Bangladesh in Chattogram

After the Tector brothers - Tim and Harry - powered Ireland to an above-par score, their bowlers ensured a 39-run win over Bangladesh in the first T20I in Chattogram. The hosts have now lost four T20Is in a row while the visitors won their first match of the year.

Harry struck five sixes in his unbeaten 45-ball 69, after his younger brother Tim had given Ireland a sound start, with a 19-ball 32. The Tector brothers struck big ones in both ends of the Ireland innings, before their bowlers managed to bowl through the wet conditions due to dew in Chattogram.

Fast bowler Mark Adair, playing his first international series since his knee surgery in August this year, sunk Bangladesh in the powerplay. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys took 4 for 13, and took three wickets with the wet ball in his fourth over.

Humphreys had Tanzid Hasan caught at mid-on in the first over to give Ireland a perfect start with the ball. Adair got a wicket-maiden in his first over back in competitive cricket after five months. He removed Litton Das playing a double-minded cut, easily caught inside the circle for one. Bangladesh sunk to 5 for 3 in the fourth over, when Adair had Parvez Hossain Emon caught at midwicket.

Saif Hassan, recently elevated to the vice captaincy in the T20I side, struck the team's first boundary in the fifth over. He however was clean bowled by Barry McCarthy, who replaced Adair after he bowled a scintillating spell that read 2-1-3-2.

Towhid Hridoy tried to haul Bangladesh out of a desperate situation, with four wickets down and the required run-rate touching 12 per over. He struck Josh Little for four over mid-off, before hitting Gareth Delany for a square-cut boundary. Both Hridoy and Jaker Ali lofted Delany for a six each in the tenth over, as Bangladesh looked to this middle-order pair to get them out of trouble. Jaker however continued his batting struggle, getting caught at deep third after making 20 off 16 balls.

<2>Humphreys skins Bangladesh tail

Returning to bowl his last over, Humphreys had quite the mixed bag. He had Tanzim's wicket with the first ball, caught at long-on. Humphreys bowled three wide deliveries, struggling to keep the wet ball in his grip. He however dried up his hands real good, when he had Rishad Hossain lbw and Nasum Ahmed stumped off consecutive deliveries.

After the eighth wicket fell, Ireland dropped several catches mainly due to the wet ball. Hridoy meanwhile reached his fifth half-century, apart from adding 48 runs for the ninth wicket with Shoriful Islam, but it had little consequence on the match.

When Ireland batted first, captain Paul Stirling struck three early fours before it was the Tim Tector show. He clattered Shoriful for four boundaries in the third over, which went for 18 runs. Stirling fell in the fifth over after which Tim was joined by Harry, and the Tector brothers exchanged more boundaries from either ends.

Tim's inside-out shot over the covers brought up Ireland's fifty in the seventh over, before he struck Tanzim Hasan through point. Rishad removed Tim in the ninth over, when Tanzim took the catch at long-on.

Harry had already got two boundaries including a straight six, before Tim departed the crease. Harry also went for straight sixes off Rishad before Shoriful removed Lorcan Tucker for 18, in the thirteenth over.

Curtis Campher aided Harry with three more fours in his 17-ball 24. Harry hammered Shoriful for his third six, pulled over midwicket, before hitting two more sixes in the last over, both over long-on.