CRICKET ONE-DAY GAME:IT IS a measure of the standard now set for Ireland's cricket team that coach Phil Simmons was far from ecstatic with yesterday's seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first of the two RSA Challenge One-Day Internationals at Stormont.

Ireland moved up level with Zimbabwe in 10th position in the one-day world rankings thanks to yesterday’s comfortable win and can close the gap on a Bangladesh side that beat England recently to just 10 points with a repeat success at the Belfast ground today.

A fifth ODI century from skipper Wiliam Porterfield steered his side home with five overs to spare to make a mockery of the generous 9/4 odds on them to beat the Tigers.

Set a target of 235, the Gloucestershire left-hander yet again shared a blistering opening stand with 19-year-old Paul Stirling, the pair putting on 118 in less than 20 overs, an Irish ODI record for the first wicket.

Last month Ireland’s hopes of causing a huge upset against Australia in Clontarf came unstuck at the fall of the first wicket after the same pairing had put on 80.

There was to be no such problems this time as following Stirling’s departure for 52, Ireland regrouped, with Alex Cusack joining in an 80-run stand that was ended when Porterfield departed for 108 with victory in sight.

Ireland would lose Niall O’Brien as they closed in on victory but younger brother Kevin would join Cusack to bring them home with five overs to spare, with Cusack remaining unbeaten on 45.

Porterfield’s century was the second of the game after Junaid Siddique held Bangladesh’s innings together with his first ODI ton. Shakib Al Hasan made 50, although he was missed on a couple of occasions by Ireland’s fielders.

It was a point Simmons was quick to pick up on. “Our fielding was nowhere close to what it’s supposed to be, we usually don’t drop catches and miss that amount of run outs. There’s still plenty to work on for tomorrow.”

Porterfield backed up his coach’s assertions, saying: “It was a good all-round performance without being too spectacular. There’s always room for improvement.”