world cup five-fer: day 32

Johnston gets the better of Bashar.

By Tristan Holme and Dave Tickner

1. Pluck of the Irish
On paper Bangladesh have far more international experience than Ireland and have claimed more big-name scalps than the World Cup debutants.

But the passion with which Ireland play the game will give them a shot at beating anyone, and the wild celebrations show just how much this game means to them. They throw themselves around the field with great gusto, and make up for their lack of experience with pure hard work and grind.

Trent Johnston has constantly spoken about how Ireland's task here is to put them on the cricketing map, and they've done that and more by achieving full one-day international status with this win over the Tigers.

2. William Porterfield
It was good to see young William finally show his potential by making a significant contribution with the bat in this tournament.

On a bouncy Barbadian wicket, Porterfield and Jeremy Bray did well to see off the opening bowlers and put their side in an excellent position from which they could attack later on.

Of course the former then ran out the latter in an attempt to reach 50, but that might have been a blessing in disguise given that Bray was scoring at less than 50 per 100 balls.

Porterfield was not the quickest scorer himself, but he showed how important it is to craft a good start from which big hitters such as Johnston can launch the innings to a competitive total.

3. Running between the wickets
It took Bangladesh more than 30 overs to take a wicket that wasn't a run out, such was the Irish dominance in all the other areas with the bat.

The Tigers may have put down a chance or two, and Mohammad Rafique will still be kicking himself for dropping a simple return catch from Porterfield in the 18th over, but generally Ireland were very steady... Aside from their running.

Porterfield made the simple mistake of not waiting for the ball to pass the infield for the run out of Bray and Eoin Morgan went for a second run when there wasn't one. For some reason they failed to heed this warning

Meanwhile it seems to have become fashionable to get yourself run out at the bowler's end in the 'unlucky' circumstances that saw the end of Saqibul Hasan. It really is strange how many batsmen have been run out in that manner, given that getting the bat back in the crease when you're not backing up halfway down the pitch is hardly the toughest task.

4. Tamim Iqbal throws it away. Again
There's no doubt that the youngster has a prodigious talent, but if he wants to be an international opening batsmen he's got an awful lot to learn. His aggressive approach is his strength, but there's a point where aggressive tips over into mindless. Frequently young Tamim overstepped this mark, finally getting cleared up trying to back away and smash Johnston out of the park. Just after he'd hit a cracking boundary. And Bangladesh needed only five an over for victory. Dav - have a word.

5. The art of captaincy
Johnston cleaned up Bashar to finish this match, and it was a fitting end. Johnston's captaincy was everything Bashar's was not - innovative, proactive, bold and aggressive. With Dave Langford-Smith frequently beating the bat, Ireland regularly had three slips in place. When Mohammad Ashraful was threatening to take the game away from Ireland, Johnston gambled on his biggest wicket-taker Boyd Rankin - despite his expensive first spell. Rankin removed Ashraful, and with him went Bangladesh's chances.

Not to mention the brave decision to bat first after being rolled for just 91 last time out against Australia.

Bashar on the other hand appeared to have his mind elsewhere, sticking rigidly to plans and allowing the Ireland innings to drift along at four an over before the late charge took the Irish to a total that proved far too much for the Tigers.

When he came out to bat, Bashar could have been caught and run out before he made five, and his failure to respond to two calls for singles from Ashraful were followed by the loss of the batsman who could have got Bangladesh home.

But what really summed Bashar's day up was the moment 18-year-old wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim had to tell his vastly-experienced captain that there were only three fielders inside the circle.