By Maksuda Lisa (Dhaka Bureau)
Bangladesh squandered their final opportunity to salvage pride on home soil, crumbling ahead of world champions Australia. The visitors’ clinical performance secured a comprehensive 7-wicket victory in the third and final T20 International at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, sealing the three-match series 3-0. The only silver lining for the hosts was a heroic lone battle by caretaker captain Towhid Hridoy.
Batting Disaster Follows Electing to Bat
Despite Bangladesh making two changes to their playing XI- bringing in Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan Sohan- their fortunes remained unchanged. The Bangladeshi captain won the toss and elected to bat first, but the team immediately found themselves in deep trouble.
The hosts collapsed to a precarious 11 for 3 within the blink of an eye:
* Opener Tanzid Hasan was run out off just the third ball of the innings.
* Left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson then struck, forcing Saif Hassan to offer a simple catch at mid-off.
* Nathan Ellis quickly followed suit, dismissing Parvez Hossain Emon.
Bangladesh never truly recovered from the Powerplay jitters. When Nurul Hasan was bowled by an Adam Zampa googly and Shamim Hossain departed for a duck, the hosts were left reeling at a dismal 36 for 5.
Towhid Hridoy’s Valiant Lone Stand
Amidst the regular fall of wickets, caretaker captain Towhid Hridoy held one end firmly, launching a courageous counter-attack. Alongside Rishad Hossain, he stitched together a 26-run partnership off 23 balls for the sixth wicket- the highest stand of the Bangladeshi innings. Although Rishad departed for 16 off 14 balls, Hridoy refused to yield.
Hridoy carried the innings through, remaining unbeaten on a fighting 61 off 51 deliveries, peppered with 6 boundaries and 3 over-boundaries. Impressively, he scored over 56% of the team’s total score of 109. Aside from Hridoy (61*) and Rishad (16), no other Bangladeshi batter reached double digits, with the remaining batsmen contributing a meager 38 runs combined.
Johnson’s Record and Zampa’s Milestone
The chief architect behind restricting Bangladesh to 109 was Australian left-arm speedster Spencer Johnson. Delivering an exceptionally disciplined spell, Johnson claimed 2 wickets for just 6 runs in his 4 overs, including 20 dot balls. This now stands as the most economical 4-over spell by an Australian bowler in men’s T20 International cricket.
Among other bowlers, Nathan Ellis scalped 2 for 21, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa picked up 2 for 22. By dismissing Nurul Hasan, Zampa achieved the prestigious milestone of 350 international wickets.
Blistering Chase and Series Triumph
Chasing a modest target of 110, the Australian batters took the Bangladeshi bowling attack to the cleaners from the word go. Shoriful Islam conceded 17 runs in the very first over. Australian captain Mitchell Marsh and opener Josh Inglis then targeted Taskin Ahmed and the country’s fastest pacer Nahid Rana, leaking 18 and 20 runs from their respective overs to forge a rapid 54-run opening stand.
With Australia just 10 runs away from victory after losing their third wicket, Tim David walked into the crease and wrapped things up in style. He smashed Rishad Hossain for two consecutive sixes, remaining unbeaten on 12 off just 3 balls.
Australia cruised to 112 for 3 in just 11 overs, completing a clinical victory. Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh was adjudged Player of the Match for his blistering 60 off 28 balls.
Player of the Match: Mitchell Marsh (Australia) 60 off 28. Photo: Collected.
Dutch Bangla Bank Player of the Series: Matt Renshaw (Australia) 113 runs & 3 wickets. Photo: Collected.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh: 109/8 in 20 overs (Towhid Hridoy 61, Rishad Hossain 16; Spencer Johnson 2/6, Adam Zampa 2/22).
Australia: 112/3 in 11 overs (Mitchell Marsh 60, Josh Inglis 17; Nasum Ahmed 1/10).
Result: Australia won by 7 wickets and won the series 3-0.
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The Writer:
Maksuda Lisa: Staff Correspondent, Pressenza- Dhaka Bureau.
