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With five weeks to go until Ireland begin their 2015 World Cup campaign, we take a look at another memorable moment, this time the day Ireland beat Bangladesh in 2007.
After reaching the Super 8’s stage of the 2007 tournament by beating Pakistan and forcing a tie against Zimbabwe, Ireland had lost their first four games, including a very heavy defeat to Australia just two days before the Bangladesh match.

Being bowled out for just 91 against Australia meant a fifth straight defeat, and had given doubters the chance to write off Ireland’s qualification for the latter stages as something of a fluke, and question the legitimacy of non-Test playing members being included in the World Cup.

What happened in Barbados on April 15th 2007 not only made those people think again, it sent Ireland to the top table of ODI cricket for the first time in their history.

The Bangladesh team had been inconsistent during the World Cup, looking almost unbeatable as they brushed aside South Africa and India, yet looking equally as vulnerable when New Zealand and Sri Lanka handed them heavy defeats.

Winning the toss, Captain Trent Johnston elected to bat first in a surprising move. It proved to be an excellent decision though, with the Bangladeshi bowlers unable to extract the extra pace and bounce people had come to expect from the Kensington Oval.

Jeremy Bray and current captain William Porterfield set out to provide Ireland with a solid base and frustrate Bangladesh, and that is exactly what they did, putting on 92 before Bray was eventually run out for 31 in the 26th over.

Eoin Morgan (5) was also run out as Ireland refused to play flamboyant cricket, and instead frustrated Bangladesh with quick and effective running between the wickets. There were four run outs in total, with Ireland scoring just five boundaries in the first 38 overs of the match.

It was a plan that worked to perfection, with Porterfield eventually falling for a brilliant 85, leaving Johnston (30) and Kevin O’Brien (48) to up the scoring rate dramatically in the final 12 overs, with an additional seven boundaries ensuring Ireland posted 243-7 in their 50 overs.

The second innings saw Bangladesh forced into a different approach, as the Irish fielders showed they were as good as anyone in the world, restricting singles and applying pressure to the Bangladeshi batsmen.

As a result they took risks and searched for boundaries. There were plenty of boundaries, especially compared to the first innings, but there were also regular wickets.

Tamim Iqbal (29) looked to be playing a very similar innings to Porterfield for Bangladesh, but when he fell in the 20th over Bangladesh were already in trouble at 93-4. Just two overs later Mohammad Ashraful (35) also fell and Ireland were in the driving seat.

For a time it looked like Habibul Bashar and Mushfiqur Rahim were patiently batting Bangladesh into a position where they could make a late attack at Ireland’s total, but being five wickets down was always going to be a problem.

Rahim (16) was bowled by Kyle McCallan and three more wickets followed cheaply, leaving Bashar (32) to bat with the tail before Johnston ensured he was the last wicket to fall in the 42nd over, securing the win for Ireland.

The significance of the win was not just that Ireland ended the Super 8’s phase with points on the board, it actually earned them a promotion to the ICC ODI Championships for the first time.

Having already gained ODI status, Ireland were not part of the top tier of ranking, and instead only included with other associate nations. The second win of the World Cup in 2007 meant Ireland were promoted to the top tier of the rankings, giving their performances in the Caribbean extra significance and a long term legacy.

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