Harry Tector played the innings of his young life yesterday at Chelmsford but it wasn’t enough to stop Bangladesh squeezing to a three-wicket victory over Ireland in the second of three World Cup Super League clashes.

Tector, who plays his club cricket for YMCA, just gets better and better in the one-day format and after surviving a tricky start against the seaming ball, he put Bangladesh to the sword, hitting 10 sixes in a scintillating 140 from 113 balls.

The 23-year-old received excellent support from Andy Balbirnie, who was caught behind for 42 to end a third-wicket partnership of 98, and then added 115 in 11.2 overs with George Dockrell, who bashed his way to 74 not out from 47 balls.

Dockrell’s four maximums and a breezy cameo from Mark Adair took Ireland to 319-6 from a rain-reduced 45 overs but it wasn’t quite enough to defend as the pitch eased and Bangladesh got home with four balls to spare, thanks to a century from Hossain Shanto.

Tector has passed fifty 11 times in 16 completed ODI innings, including four centuries, since scoring his first ODI half-century in the Netherlands two years ago. His average of 53.7 is now the sixth best of all time.

“It’s great to have done well so far in my career but it's just a start,” he said. “The true test is whether I can do it for a long period, and I want to make the most of this good form because it's not always there.”

All three of his Super League centuries have been in losing causes, though, and if just two of them had delivered a win - as they should have - then another victory over Bangladesh tomorrow would have earned a World Cup place.