Bangladesh Secures Historic ODI Series Victory Over Australia
Bangladesh achieved a historic milestone by securing their first-ever One Day International (ODI) series victory against six-time world champions Australia on Thursday. The match, held in Dhaka, showcased the remarkable performances of pace bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, who led the team to a five-wicket triumph.
Australia, led by Josh Inglis in the absence of injured captain Mitchell Marsh, had previously faced defeat against Bangladesh due to a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) adjustment that resulted in an 86-run loss on Tuesday. However, the victory in the second ODI ensured that Bangladesh clinched a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Opting to bat first under damp conditions, Australia struggled early as Bangladesh’s bowlers, particularly Ahmed and Rahman, dismissed key players Matthew Short, Cooper Connolly, and Matthew Renshaw without them scoring a run, marking just the fourth instance in ODI history where a team has lost all three top-order batsmen without any runs to their name.
In response to the batting collapse, Inglis provided some stability, scoring 34 off 37 balls, while Alex Carey added a mere 13 from 17. Despite their contributions, both players were soon dismissed, leaving Australia in a precarious situation.
Marnus Labuschagne emerged as a shining star for Australia, scoring an unbeaten 55 off 85 balls. Partnering with Xavier Bartlett, who was eventually bowled by Ahmed, they formed a resilient 103-run partnership. This alliance came after Australia found itself in a dire position at 81-6.
Rahman continued to impress, taking two crucial wickets and effectively managing to dismiss both Connolly and Renshaw. Ahmed also made significant contributions by taking the wickets of Bartlett and Adam Zampa, which ultimately restricted Australia to a total of 187-8 in their innings before rain intervened, causing a delay of nearly three hours.
Following the rain break, Bangladesh was set a revised target of 192 runs from 41 overs. Despite a rocky start with opening batsman Tanjid Hasan falling for a two-ball duck after being caught and bowled by Bartlett, the hosts remained composed. Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto both chipped in with 42 runs before being dismissed by Renshaw and Meredith, respectively.
While Lytton Dias added 21 runs, it was the partnership of Tohohid Harddoi, scoring 40, and Mehdi Hasan Miraz, contributing 22, that secured Bangladesh’s victory. Australia’s bowlers struggled to take wickets effectively, and the hosts achieved their target with relative ease.
