Rahim slams fastest century by a Bangladesh batter in ODIs as match is washed out

Rain forced the cancellation of the second One-Day International (ODI) between Bangladesh and Ireland in Sylhet after Mushfiqur Rahim hit the fastest century by a Bangladeshi batter in the format, propelling the hosts to their highest-ever ODI total of 349/6, breaking the record of 338 set in the first match of the series on Saturday.

Rahim reached the milestone on the last ball of Bangladesh's innings. His 60-ball century, which included 14 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 166.66, broke Shakib Al Hasan's previous best of 63 balls against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2009.

Rahim's century came after he came in to bat in the 34th over of the innings. He also passed 7000 ODI runs, becoming the third Bangladesh batter to do so after Shakib and Tamim Iqbal. Rahim now has nine ODI centuries, tied with Shakib in a list led by Iqbal, who has 14 tonnes.

Prior to Rahim's blitzkrieg, Najmul Hossain Shanto hit 73 off 77 balls, Towhid Hridoy hit 49 off 34 balls, and Litton Das hit 70 off 71 balls. Graham Hume was the pick of Ireland's bowlers once again, taking three wickets for 58 runs in ten overs as he continued his impressive start to his ODI career.

Matthew Humphreys, 20, made his international debut as well, receiving his first cap from Ryan Eagleson before the game began. Rain fell while the players were leaving the field after Bangladesh's innings ended.

With a steady downpour continuing well into the night, Ireland had no chance of starting their chase, and the match was called off at 8:32 p.m. local time, well ahead of the cut-off time. The final match of the series will be played on Thursday, and a win would see Ireland draw the series, while a loss would see Bangladesh win the series.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 349/6 in 50 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 100 not out, Najmul Hossain Shanto 73, Graham Hume 3-58) against Ireland; Match abandoned due to rain