TWO brothers, 79 runs from 42 balls, seven fours and five sixes. Both beset by a virus and one batting with a twisted ankle. The O'Briens will walk that bit taller around Sandymount when they get back from this adventure.

Arriving at Trent Bridge yesterday, Camilla O'Brien was on hand with the information that Kevin, her younger son, felt he was 'dying' with the lurgy. The big fellow didn't look too poorly as his whirring blade put Bangladesh to the sword.

In fact Kevin, who came in with the game in the balance and wrapped matters up with ten balls to spare, needed more than a Lemsip before yesterday's tournament opener, as man-of-the-match Niall reported afterwards.

'He came up to me yesterday and said "I'm playing really badly, I'm playing really badly". I said to him "mate, it doesn't matter how you've played before the tournament starts".

'Once you walk out for a competitive match, that's when it counts and Kev has done brilliantly for us again today. He's as big a hitter as any of these teams have – you look at Yuvraj [Singh of India], Kev hits it as far as them all.'

One day into their World Twenty20 campaign, Ireland are through to the Super Eights thanks to an inspired bowling performance, a bit of good fortune and a mule-like refusal to leave without making their mark.

How courageously they set about a tricky run chase, and Niall O'Brien's three leg-side sixes in one over from Masrafe Mortaza will live long in the memory.

Jeremy Bray had gone early as the Tigers crowded around the bat and Mortaza's first two overs cost just two runs. O'Brien, batting with Bray as a runner, broke the tension completely and brought them up with the run rate.

There was a mid-innings wobble when Gary Wilson and John Mooney got bogged down by spin, but when Wilson gave way to O'Brien jnr, the match-winning alliance was born.

Mooney was the less aggressive of the two but one reverse sweep off Shakib-al-Hasan was world class and they picked off singles at will as the target shrank.

They still needed 33 off the last four overs but O'Brien stood and delivered, punching Rubel Hossain twice through the off side.

A huge six in the 18th over followed and a delirious Mooney embraced O'Brien after he breezily clipped a four over extra cover to win the game. Tricolours were aired and men in oversized Leprechaun suits jigged, and it was like Sabina Park all over again.

After losing the toss Bangladesh started well but, rather than take a back seat, Ireland stayed on the attack and methodically turned matters on their head.

Boyd Rankin was targeted as the openers tore into anything wide, but Trent Johnston soon induced a false shot from the marauding Zunaed Siddique and Bray took a steepling catch.

Mohammad Ashraful, the captain, had only one run to his name when he guided Johnston to the left of Kevin O'Brien, the slip fielder failing to grasp his chance.

O'Brien's transgression only cost 13 runs as Ashraful, after belting Rankin around, tried the same shot and this time fed it straight into the slip fielder's hands.

Johnston, the old warhorse, was on fire now and his crafty slow balls were near-unplayable. When Shakib lifted Regan West for four over extra cover, nobody in the ground could have predicted that the Tigers wouldn't score another boundary for 12 overs.

Everything went the way of the Irish in a period of stifling pressure. Johnston made another breakthrough before Bangladesh fell victim to storybook Irish luck.

First there was a mix-up and Tamim Iqbal dropped his bat. Kyle McCallan, guarding the stumps at the bowler's end, failed to gather Niall O'Brien's throw and Tamim would have got home if the ball hadn't rebounded off McCallan's hip and rolled into the stumps.

The next dismissal was yet more remarkable. Mahmudullah had a fresh-air swipe at Alex Cusack and lifted his back foot off the ground for no more than half a second, at which instant O'Brien whipped off the bails more in hope than expectation. The batsman walked off astonished after the TV verdict.

Bangladesh were 66-5 now and West and McCallan allowed just 42 runs from eight overs of spin, each claiming one wicket. But Mortaza kept a tight grip on the strike at the death, allowing him to plunder two huge sixes and four twos off Cusack's final over.

It felt like the tide had turned – not only did Bangladesh beef up their tally by 20 runs, but Niall O'Brien twisted his ankle as he slipped trying to effect a run out.

That might come to have a bearing on his tournament, but it couldn't mess up his day. Just as in 2007, there was a feeling here that the Irish were passengers of destiny.