Australia Secures T20I Series Win Against Bangladesh

The skipper of Australia - Mitchell Marsh says it's been a great series win and to wrap it up in two games is a pleasing sign. Looking back at 2021, he recalls it ended 4-1 to Bangladesh and that Australia's only win that time came with a bit of luck, so this feels a lot better to win this one strongly. On the pitch, Marsh says the wicket was a lot better than the previous game, and he is particularly happy for Renshaw. He singles out his outstanding partnership with Tim David as fantastic, saying the two got Australia out of a tricky spot and then shifted through the gears to get the side to a competitive total. On Hardie, Marsh says he was good and that it is always nice when those calls come off. He then goes on to praise all the bowlers for working through their sequences and staying calm under pressure, especially at the back end. He says Nathan Ellis' last two overs were game-changing and that Australia are lucky to have someone of his experience in the group. Marsh says he is rapt for the team, and it is nice to get a series win in Bangladesh. On finishing the series on a high, he acknowledges it has been a reasonably tough tour for the white-ball group, with a fairly inexperienced side facing different challenges in these conditions. He says the team is really keen to close it out with a win before everyone heads home.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Matt Renshaw receives the award for his fabulous knock of 89 runs in 52 balls. He picked up one wicket as well. Matt Renshaw says he was simply trusting his skills and got his reward on the day. He adds that Australia posted a good score but Bangladesh came out and attacked hard. On his partnership with David, he says both of them have their own strengths and they looked to use those to build a solid total together. Reflecting on the first-innings score, Renshaw says the team knew after the first game that Bangladesh would come out swinging, and admits it felt a little nervy. But he felt it was a good total to defend, noting that the longer the chase went on, the harder it became to hit.

The skipper of Bangladesh - Towhid Hridoy says they played really good cricket, but is quick to admit that they need to improve in a couple of areas to end up on the right side. When asked what those areas of improvement are, Towhid stresses that they have to carry the responsibility a lot more. Mentions that it is important for the batters to play a big knock after getting settled on the crease. Stresses that they need to chase such type of totals and is hopeful that they will comeback strongly in the next match.

So close, yet so far! But you can never count the Aussies out. Australia roared back into the contest in the blink of an eye. Parvez Hossain Emon fell in the 13th over, and Saif Hassan followed him right back to the dugout in the 14th, breaking the backbone of the chase. That is when the tables turned. For Australia, Aaron Hardie picked up two wickets, while Matt Renshaw, Zampa, Ellis, and Davies kept the pressure up with one wicket each. Nathan Ellis, in particular, was just instrumental with his bag of tricks. He varied his pace smartly to outfox the batters in the backend and came out with flying colors. Over number 17, he picked a wicket and gave just 2 runs. He went for a few in the penultimate, but by then, the game had drifted out of reach. Towhid Hridoy kept the local fans dreaming with a valiant 35, dragging the thriller right down to the final over. They fell agonisingly short by a mere 7 runs in a grandstand finish.

The Matt Renshaw masterclass - Earlier in the game, it was the Matt Renshaw show that set the stadium alight. Opting to bat first, Australia found themselves in a real spot of bother at 44/3 within the Powerplay. But Renshaw played a blistering, career-defining unbeaten knock of 89 off just 52 balls. He found a perfect ally in Tim David, who smashed a rapid 45 to steady the ship with a 97-run stand. Backed by some late lusty blows from Joel Davies, the Aussies posted a mammoth 196/5, leaving Bangladesh's bowlers, outside of a tidy 2/27 from Nasum Ahmed, with plenty of answers to find.

W

Overs19.6

Score189 - 6

Aaron Hardie to Towhid Hridoy, OUT! TAKEN EASILY! That's that. Joy for Australia. Heartbreak for Bangladesh as they could see the finish line, but could not cross it in the end. Australia win by 7 runs. Hardie bowls a slower one, full and around off. Towhid Hridoy is beaten by the lack of pace and mistimes the lofted shot off the toe end towards long on. Tim David keeps his calm, moves a bit to his right and takes a simple catch. Marsh lets out a roar of relief as Hardie is engulfed by his teammates, absolutely over the moon. Australia win the 3-match T20I series, taking the lead by 2-0.

W

Overs16.3

Score153 - 5

Nathan Ellis to Shamim Hossain, OUT! TAKEN! Hardie makes a tough catch look easy and Ellis gets the reward for unleashing his bag of tricks. He bowls a length-delivery, on the leg stump line. Shamim Hossain crouches a bit to play the pull shot, but does not get enough room to free his arms and complete the follow-through. Mistimes it as the bat twists at the point of contact, and airs it to the right of deep square leg. Aaron Hardie covers a good ground to his right and takes a fine running catch. Bangladesh are 153/5, still needing 44 runs from 21 balls.