Ireland Qualify for World Twenty20 Super Eights After Victory Over Bangladesh

Irish cricket has its problems, but give their aging troubadours the whiff of a major one-day competition and they come to life. Anything is deemed possible since their defeat of Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup constituted one of the biggest shocks in one-day cricket history, and they were at it again today, overcoming Bangladesh by six wickets with eight balls to spare to clinch a place in the Super Eights at their opponents' expense.

It was the O'Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin, who were the show stoppers. Niall, one of four Ireland players with county contracts, himself at Northants, pulled off a run-out and a quicksilver stumping and then shrugged off what briefly seemed to be a serious leg injury to strike 40 from 25 balls to set up Ireland's successful pursuit of 138.

What Niall began, his younger brother completed. Kevin O'Brien is on a summer's trial at Nottinghamshire and on the ground where he hopes to forge a county career he drew attention to himself in spectacular fashion, finishing with 39 not out from 17 balls with four fours and two sixes.

Eight members of this victorious Ireland team were in the Caribbean, and more than two years on, half the side are still balancing work and cricket as best they may. The limbs are aging, but the desire remains. They played cleverer cricket than Bangladesh, remaining unflappable in their pursuit of 138 for victory, in contrast to Bangladesh whose own innings had collapsed in recognizably cavalier fashion.

Bangladesh had looked lively in the warm-ups and had performed respectably against India, who needed a majestic late intervention by Yuvraj Singh to set up a 25-run defeat. It had all brought heart to their Australian coach Jamie Siddons. "I don't think it is our skill level anymore,'' he said. "We are just making one or two silly decisions in our batting that the boys are aware of and need to stop making.''

Siddons must have wished for "one or two'' silly batting decisions today. Against Ireland their misconceived moments ran close to double figures, beginning with a mindless departure by their perpetually infuriating captain Mohammad Ashraful. Dropped at first slip by Kevin O'Brien in David Johnston's second over, he tried to guide Johnston through slips in his next over and O'Brien gratefully accepted a chance to make amends.

Johnston, an Australian who began his cricketing life at New South Wales, loves the big occasion and, at 35, plays with the passion of a man who knows that not too many will remain. He took the first three wickets, finishing with 3-20. It won him the ICC man of the match award for all of five minutes before they gave it instead to Niall O'Brien.

Johnston is best known for hitting the winning runs against Pakistan two years ago when Ireland pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. He had been at it again in World Twenty20, starring in a warm-up against the Netherlands. The scores were tied, Ireland could only score seven runs in the 'super over' against Dick Nannes, but Johnston's over outdid him.

Listing after Johnston's spell, Bangladesh then self-destructed. Tamim Iqbal's run out was a comic affair. Niall O'Brien, the wicketkeeper, dashed around to the legside to collect Mahmudullah's nudge, Tamim was sent back and dropped his bat, and O'Brien's throw to the bowler's end deflected onto the stumps off the stomach of William McCallan.

O'Brien then added a quicksilver stumping in the next over, Mahmudullah briefly lifting his back foot as he attempted a front-foot pull against the medium pace of Alex Cusack. Bangladesh were 66-5 in the 11th over and they could have been 70-6 had Johnston, running back from midwicket, held Mahmudullah's knee-trembling skier.

Only in the last over did Bangladesh recover to post a competitive total. Mashrafe Mortaza took 20 off Cusack, including sixes from a low full toss and a slower ball.