Bangladesh have sealed the Twenty20 International series against Australia with two games to spare after winning the third match by 10 runs. Bangladesh are now focused on winning the remaining two matches in order to complete the whitewash over Australia. While, the visitors will be hoping to avoid an unacceptable whitewash. Australia have struggled to come up with the right mantra to defeat Bangladesh. They have failed to increase run rates in the dying overs,
which has cost them heavily in terms of the match's outcome. The third match report of the BAN vs. AUS 2021 series is discussed in this article.
Read: Tigers create history as Australia are left with no answers
Bangladesh vs. Australia 2021: Third T20I Match Report
Despite some dramatic moments, Bangladesh comfortably defeated Australia by 10 runs in the third match of the five-match Twenty20 International series on Friday (August 6), winning the series with two games to spare.
Tight Bowling Help Bangladesh to Defend a Low Total
Bangladesh's left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman once again demonstrated that he is in a league of his own, particularly on a slow-turning surface. The talented pacer was key in the crucial death overs, bowling 15 dot deliveries in his four overs spell.
The all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan delivered exactly what Bangladesh had hoped for, providing a breakthrough when Mitchell Marsh and Ben McDermott went strong in the middle and took the game away from Bangladesh. He sent McDermott to the pavilion in the 14th over, allowing Bangladesh to reclaim control of the match.
Read Bangladesh opt to bat first in 4th T20I vs Australia
When McDermott fell to Shakib for 71/2, Australia still needed 57 runs in 40 balls to chase down Bangladesh's 127. The Bangladesh spinners continued to put pressure on the batsmen despite failing to capture wickets early in the game.
Left-arm spinner Shoriful Islam dismissed Moises Henriques in the next over and Australia found themselves in a conundrum. Skipper Mahmudullah Riyad did the right thing by bringing in his best weapon, Mustafizur Rahman, to bowl the 17th and 19th overs to put even more pressure on the Australian batsmen.
Mustafiz only gave up 5 runs in his final two overs, including just 1 run in the 19th over, indicating Riyad's strategy was successful. Meanwhile, Shoriful dismissed Australia's in-form batsman Mitchell Marsh (51) in the first delivery of the 18th over. Mitchell Marsh had a verbal spat with Young Shoriful, Nurul Hasan, and Mahmudullah on the pitch, indicating that these defeats are embarrassing to Australians.
Read Debutant Ellis' hat-trick restricts Bangladesh to 127
Australia needed 22 runs from the last over. Riyad gave the ball to off-spinner Mahadi Hasan to defend the total. Despite conceding a six in the first ball of the 20th over, he did his job properly. It was a fantastic win and a major milestone for Bangladesh cricket.
Captain Mahmudullah Guides Bangladesh to Put Up a Challenging Total
Earlier, batting first Bangladesh lost their two openers inside two overs. Soumya Sarkar struggled with the bat once again, scoring only 2 runs before falling to leg-spinner Adam Zampa through Ibw.
Skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan then repaired the innings with a 44-run stand between them. Later, the Afif-Mahmudullah pair combined for 29 runs, bringing the total to 76nin 12 overs.
Read Bangladesh bat first in 3rd T20 against Australia
Afif was in nice touch and played some beautiful strokes before being run out by Alex Carey. Nurul Hasan also played a few nice strokes but was unable to prolong the innings. Despite losing wickets at the other end, Captain Mahmudullah Riyad held his nerve till the last over, ensuring a challenging score to defend.
Australia' debutant pacer Nathan Elias took a hat-trick by dismissing Riyad, Mustafiz, and Mahadi In the last three balls of the innings. Nathan made history by being the first Australian cricketer to take a hat-trick in his debut match. Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa each took two wickets in the encounter. The fourth match of the series will be held on Saturday (August 7) at the SBNCS, Mirpur.
Bottom Line
Looking at the third match report of the BAN vs. AUS 2021 series, it's clear that seasoned all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, skipper Mahmudullah Riyad, and left-arm bowler Mustafizur Rahman all had outstanding performances. Additionally, the best part of the third match was that both the senior and junior players helped contribute to the victory. Though, there is always room for improvement. Bangladesh's players must put up consistent performances in the next two encounters to whitewash Australia. Team Australia, on the other hand, will be desperate to come back in winning momentum.