BAN vs IRE: Paul Stirling slams his 22nd T20I fifty
Ireland's star batter Paul Stirling hammered his 22nd fifty in T20Is to help his team claim victory in the 3rd T20I against Bangladesh in Chittagong. His blazing knock of 77 from 41 balls simply gave Bangladesh no chance of pulling off a heist after they were bundled out for 124. Stirling's fifty was laced with 10 fours and four sixes. Here's more.
A blazing knock from Stirling
Ireland's top run-getter in T20Is knows only one way to play and in the third T20I, he finally showed his true self. Stirling slammed his first-ever T20I fifty against Bangladesh which was overall his 22nd fifty in this format. The 32-year-old stitched a 68-run partnership with Herry Tector before the latter took Ireland home. Stirling has scored the seventh most fifties in T20Is.
Here's a look at Paul Stirling's T20I numbers
Stirling has raced to 3,275 runs in 124 T20I at 28.72, striking at 135.89. Overall in terms of T20I runs, he is the fifth-highest in this format. He is one of the six batters to reach 3,000 runs in T20Is. He is only behind Virat Kohli (4,008), Rohit Sharma (3,853), Martin Guptill (3,531) and Babar Azam (3,355). Stirling is only 80 runs behind Babar.
Maiden T20I fifty against Bangladesh
Stirling has an exceptional record in T20Is irrespective of the opposition. However, he has a below-par record against Bangladesh in this format. His knock of 77 was his first fifty against Bangladesh in this format. He has amassed 141 runs in seven T20Is, striking at 154.94. Stirling's excellent knock helped Ireland register their first win in any format over Bangladesh in Bangladesh.
How did the match pan out?
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first. Having won the series, the hosts were a little complacent as Adair and others made full use of it. Bangladesh were folded for 124 but Shamim fought for his side. Meanwhile, Adair was the pick of the Irish bowlers. In response, Stirling's 77 helped Ireland reach the total in only 14 overs.
Taskin Ahmed and Litton Das take away the honors
Bangladeshi pacer Taskin Ahmed (8) finished as the highest wicket-taker of the three-match T20I series. He was also adjudged as the man of the series. He finished with 4/16 and 3/27 in the first two matches. Litton starred with the bat scoring 135 runs at an average of 45. He finished as the highest run-scorer in the three-match T20I series.
