Harry Tector leads Ireland to strong T20I win over Bangladesh

Harry Tector once again showed why he is a rising star of Irish cricket, steering Ireland to a 39-run victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I at Chattogram. The 25-year-old right-handed middle-order batter remained unbeaten on 69 as Ireland posted a challenging total, before Matthew Humphreys’ four-wicket haul kept the hosts in check.

Born Harry Tom Tector on December 6, 1999, in Dublin, he hails from a cricketing family. His brothers, Jack and Tim, have captained Ireland at Under-19 World Cups, while his sister Alice Tector also plays the sport. Tector plays as a right-hand batter and occasional offbreak bowler, representing Ireland in international cricket along with franchise stints for Barbados Royals, Gloucestershire, Northern Knights, Munster Reds, and Sylhet Strikers.

After being asked to bat, Ireland’s openers made a solid start, putting together a 40-run partnership. Paul Stirling and Tim Tector impressed early, with Stirling hitting two fours off Shoriful Islam’s first over and Tim striking three boundaries in the next. Stirling fell in the fifth over, but the momentum stayed with Ireland.

Harry Tector anchored the innings alongside his brother Tim, Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, and George Dockrell. Tim fell shortly after the PowerPlay, but Harry kept Ireland on track, finishing with a flourish by striking Tanzim Hasan Sakib for two sixes in the final over. Ireland reached 181/4 in 20 overs.

Bangladesh’s chase began poorly as Humphreys tore through the top order, reducing the hosts to 20/4 in the PowerPlay. Skipper Liton Das and key batters fell cheaply, leaving Towhid Hridoy to fight alone with a resilient 83 not out. Jaker Ali provided brief support with two sixes off Gareth Delany before his dismissal in the 12th over. Humphreys returned to claim three more wickets in his final over, finishing with figures of 4-13. Bangladesh ended on 142/9, falling 39 runs short.

Tector has steadily built a reputation for performing on big occasions. In just his third ODI in 2020, he scored a composed 29 not out in a successful chase of 329. He has since been central to Ireland’s victories, including a standout 79 against South Africa in 2021 and multiple fifties and hundreds in ODIs and T20s, notably against West Indies and New Zealand. His T20 credentials also earned him a franchise deal with Barbados Royals in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League.

Ireland now holds the advantage in the three-match T20I series, with Harry Tector at the heart of their batting line-up.