Andrew Balbirnie says Ireland’s sole focus is on the opening ODI against Bangladesh as they aim for a 3-0 win to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
The skipper will lead out his side at Chelmsford on Tuesday knowing they need a whitewash to retain hope of reaching next month’s World Cup Qualifier.
He said: “We’re a confident team but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.
“We’ll just have to think about winning the first game and then work on the second match.”
A 3-0 victory may not even be enough for the Irish as they aim to pip South Africa to the final qualifying spot to make the World Cup in India later this year.
A whitewash would take them level on points with the Proteas and they must better their run-rate to finish eighth in the World Cup Super League.
It is a tall order for Balbirnie’s team after losing 2-0 to Bangladesh in their ODI series in Sylhet two months ago, while the Tigers beat the Irish by six wickets when they met in Dublin in 2019.
Ireland’s bowling attack is bolstered by the return of paceman Josh Little following his successful maiden Indian Premier League campaign with Gujarat Titans.
Balbirnie, 32, added: “Bangladesh are a very experienced team and particularly with the bat. They know the game inside out and they’ve obviously been very successful in their own conditions playing ODI cricket.
“They wouldn’t have played too much in England apart from the 2019 World Cup, and we played them in the same year. They’re a well-run team and they’ll want to come here and whitewash us. We’ve got to make sure we can stop that and play some pretty good cricket doing that.
“Josh’s return is a huge boost – he has become a world-class operator and we’re very grateful to have him back in the squad for these games.
“He’s had a really good time of it in the IPL so I’m sure he will do when he goes back. It’s a great boost for us as a group and also the bowlers, who will learn from him. He can have a good week performance-wise and have an impact for us.
“Over the years we’ve produced pretty good performances and standout performances, but stringing three in a row has been tough for us – we haven’t done that. We know how hard it will be this week to do it.”
Tuesday’s opener at the Essex venue is followed by games on Friday and Sunday.
