- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia have beaten Bangladesh by three wickets thanks to big performances by Adam Zampa and Usman Khawaja to register their first win of the tournament, all but ending the hopes of a finals appearance for the tigers.
Australia sent their opposition into bat and put them on the back foot straight away after Shane Watson picked up a wicket off his second ball to leave Bangladesh reeling at 1/2 after eight balls.
Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, dominating the middle overs to scoop up three big wickets to give his side the upper hand coming into the death stages of the innings.
Where Zampa excelled, his team mates stumbled. Smith called on seven different bowlers throughout the innings but nearly all of them continued to suffer through inconsistency, letting Bangladesh back into the game late.
A late blitz of 49 from 29 deliveries by Mahmudullah punished the Australian’s, piling on 44 from the last three overs to set a very competitive total of 5/156.
Australia came out in cruise mode, packing on 62 runs for the first wicket in just seven overs before Watson was caught short at the keepers end, jogging for a second run.
Usman Khawaja was the stand out in the batting department, piecing together his highest T20 international score of 58 to guide his side into a dominant position, needing just 42 from the last seven overs when he lost his wicket.
The game would take one final twist though in the final overs, Australia losing a flurry of wickets with the total in reach. A vital Glenn Maxwell cameo at the end finalised the result and scraped the Aussie’s home by just three wickets to take the much needed points.
Far from convincing, Australia’s scrappy win will pose a few selection questions for their upcoming matches against stronger opponents Pakistan and India. Bangladesh on the other hand have had their final shot at the knockout stages dashed as they move on to India in a few days.
Final Score:
Australia win by 3 wickets
AUS 7/157 (18.3 overs)
BAN 5/156 (20 overs)
Australia are looking to get their World T20 campaign back on track when they take on Bangladesh in Bangalore. Join The Roar from 1am (AEDT) for all the action.
Australia are in need of a win after going down to New Zealand in their tournament opener, putting them on the back foot early in the group stages.
Steve Smith’s men struggled with the slow conditions and lost wickets at vital points of the game, leaving them with some kinks to iron out.
With the pitch expected to be more pace friendly, there has been a lot of discussion on a possible return for Aaron Finch to the side. Notoriously shaky against spin bowling, the harder deck should be a playground for Finch against a scrappy Bangladesh bowling attack.
Bangladesh have been hit hard during the tournament, with Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny being banned for illegal bowling actions over the weekend, following their loss to Pakistan.
The Bangladeshis need to chop and change their line-up to compensate for two of their strike bowlers being out, although they may go with a pace-orientated attack given their squad depth and pitch conditions.
Australia should take a lot of confidence into this game having never lost to Bangladesh in the shortest format of the game.
Prediction
The Australians stumbled in their opener but should have settled into the Indian conditions by now, gaining confidence with bat and ball. Although Bangladesh will throw everything they have into the contest, it’s hard to see Australia losing this one.
Australia to win by seven wickets or 43 runs.
Can Australia muscle their way back into the tournament, or will Bangladesh steal an upset and make a late charge for the finals? Join The Roar from 1am (AEDT) for all the big hits and action from the World T20.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.