Andy Balbirnie will take on a mission impossible-style task this week as Ireland look to not only beat Bangladesh three times in Chelmsford but also beat the weather and massively improve their run-rate to qualify for the World Cup in the autumn.

Although Ireland have won an ODI series against a traditional Test team - beating the West Indies 2-1 in Jamaica at the start of last year - to do so 3-0 against a team that hammered them in Sylhet only two months ago would be some turn around.

“We’re a pretty competent 50-overs team and over the years we’ve produced some stand out results - but winning three in a row isn’t something we’ve done,” skipper Balbirnie said, on the eve of today’s (TUES) opening game.

“Consistency is what we crave. We know we can compete against world-class teams if we have a good day out but it’s having that good day out as often as possible that’s the challenge.

“Bangladesh will want to come here and whitewash us, like they did in Sylhet, but we’ll look to stop that, and conditions in Essex are more like home for us than when we lost those games.”

Ireland have ceded proper home advantage for their final World Cup Super Series in the hope of getting all three games completed at what has statistically been the driest ground in on the English county circuit.

“Essex have made us feel very welcome, and the facilities are great, but as an Irish cricketer you naturally want to be playing you’re home games in Ireland in front of your own fans - but that’s not something that’s in our hands,” Balbirnie said. 

If the Boys in Green do win all three games, they will pull level with South Africa on the Super Series ladder, with the final World Cup qualifying place then decided on run-rate which is firmly against Ireland as things stand. 

“We’re not looking at the run-rate at this point,” Balbirnie said. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, we just have to concentrate on winning the first game and them focus on the second game on Friday.”

To be in contention for an automatic World Cup place with one series to play should be seen as an achievement in itself, and if Ireland do miss out they will get a second chance of reaching the finals in India via a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe.