Ashraful hails victories

Mohammad Ashraful believes the victories against Ireland were crucial © Getty Images

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Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful believes their one-day series win against Ireland will give them much-needed confidence and allow them to better compete against top international sides.

The Tigers recorded an 84-run win over Ireland in the second one-day international on Thursday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after their eight-wicket triumph in the opening clash.

The wins were significant for the Bangladesh team, coming as they did after 14 straight losses, and the victories have also handed Ashraful his first series win as a captain.

The 23-year-old says the triumphs have lifted his team’s confidence ahead of the final clash against Ireland on Saturday and also the upcoming one-day series against Pakistan in April.

“Obviously it is a great confidence booster,” he told www.tigercricket.com.

“If you remember we won a lot of matches against the likes of Zimbabwe and Scotland in 2006-07 and that created a winning habit which really helped when we were up against stronger teams in the World Cup.

“I think the victories here will also boost our performance in the international matches to come.”

Coach Jamie Siddons was also pleased with his team’s performance in the last two games after seeing his side fail miserably against New Zealand and South Africa earlier in the season.

“Definitely I am happy. It was nice to hear the team song in the dressing room,” he said.

“They deserve it. They stuck to the team rules, put up some runs on the board and defended that. I am very happy for that.”