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Coach blasts 'ridiculous' Bangladesh after exit

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons lashed out at his team after their first round exit from the World Twenty20, saying they were not willing to learn.

“It was ridiculous batting,” Australian Siddons said after Bangladesh were restricted to a modest 137-8 by minnows Ireland, who won by six wickets to book their place in the Super Eights.

Burly seamer Trent Johnson grabbed 3-20 before the O’Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin, guided Ireland home with 10 deliveries to spare at Trent Bridge.

Niall made 40 off 25 balls, while Kevin completed the easy win with an unbeaten 39 off 17 balls that included four boundaries and two sixes.

Bangladesh, who had lost their opening game against defending champions India, return home with two defeats, while the Irish move into the Super Eights from group A along with the Indians.

“We just did not make enough runs,” said Siddons. “It was ridiculous batting on a wicket where the par score should have been 170 at least.

“Batting has to be aggressive in Twenty20 cricket. But there were too many mental errors. We talk it over but then the batsmen go and make the same mistakes.

“We had a backup plan to get 150 if we could not get 170. And we end up with a shitty score of 137. Anyone can get those runs.

“Ireland were fantastic, but my boys know they should have got into the Super Eights.

“We must apologise to our millions of fans in Bangladesh. But the team has to learn from their mistakes. Sometimes they just don’t want to listen.”

Bangladesh were also beaten by Ireland at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Siddons hoped the Test tour of the West Indies starting later this month will show Bangladesh in good light.

“We have to show we are an improved side and get into the Test match mode soon. We definitely have to play better than this,” he said.

Bangladesh, a Test-playing nation unlike Ireland, have disappointed at the top level and lost their last eight T20 internationals, 13 of their last 14 Tests and 13 of their last 15 one-day matches.

The Tigers, who needed to win the game to stay in the tournament, lost half their side by the 11^th over with just 66 runs on the board.

Opener Tamim Iqbal was the only frontline batsman to offer any semblence of resistence, making 22 before he was run out.

Mashrafe Mortaza hit a quickfire 33 not out towards the end, including 20 runs in the last over from Alex Cusack, as the last three wickets added 71 valuable runs.

The Irish were sitting pretty at 61-1 in the 10^th over when three wickets fell for 28 runs, including that of Niall O’Brien, who holed out against Shakib Al Hasan.

Kevin O’Brien took charge after his brother’s dismissal, lofting Abdur Razzaq and Shakib for sixes, to help Ireland surpass the victory target of seven runs an over.

Ireland take on India in the last league encounter on Wednesday, with both teams assured of a place in the next round.