SYLHET: Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan became the third cricketer to achieve the rare double landmark of 7000 runs and 300 wickets as Bangladesh thrashed Ireland by 183 runs in the first match of the three-match ODI series here on Saturday.
Shakib 89-ball 93, hitting nine fours in the process and with Towhid Hridoy smashing an identical 85-ball 92, Bangladesh raced to 338/8 in 50 overs, their biggest total in this format.
Spinner Ebadot Hossain claimed 4-42 off 6.5 overs while Nasum Ahmed claimed 3-43 as Bangladesh bundled out Ireland for 144 in 30.5 overs as the hosts recorded their biggest win in ODIs in terms of runs.
Coming in at number five after Bangladesh found themselves in a bit of bother at 81/3 against Ireland during the first ODI, Shakib went on to score his third ODI fifty in a row.
Upon reaching 24 in his innings, Shakib touched the feat of 7000 ODI runs. Thus, he became only the third cricketer after Sanath Jayasuriya (13430 runs, 323 wickets) and Shahid Afridi (8064 runs, 395 wickets) to reach 7000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs.
After Tamim Iqbal (8146), Shakib is only the second Bangladesh player to score 7000 ODI runs for his team. The all-rounder picked his 300th ODI wicket in the recently concluded ODI series against England.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 338/8 in 50 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 93, Hridoy 92, Graham Hume 4-60) beat Ireland 155 all out in 30.5 overs (Dockrell 45, Doheny 34, Ebadot Hossain 4-42) by 183 runs. IANS
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