Bangladesh registered their first ever series win over Australia across formats. They defended 128 in the nail-biting third T20I in Dhaka, winning by 10 runs.
Australia required 23 in the final two overs, with Alex Carey and Dan Christian in the middle. But Mustafizur Rahman (4-0-9-0) conceded a solitary run in the penultimate over to seal the game in Bangladesh’s favour.
In the end, Australia fell 10 runs short of the target. They finished on 117/4 to give Bangladesh an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The toss was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain and a wet outfield. Mahmudullah decided to set a target. Bangladesh remained unchanged from their previous two outings. Australia, on the other hand, made three changes, including handing a debut to Nathan Ellis for rested Mitchell Starc.
Despite the delay, the game did not lose overs. The decision of batting first did not go in Bangladesh’s favour initially, as they lost both Mohammad Naim (1) and Soumya Sarkar (2) inside three overs.
Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah then added 44 for the third wicket to put Bangladesh back on track. Adam Zampa returned in the ninth over to dismiss Shakib straightway. Afif Hossain looked promising in his 13-ball 19, but a sharp bit of fielding from Alex Carey sent him back. Shamim Hossain (3) did not last either, and Bangladesh were 81/5.
The moment of the match came in the final three balls of the first innings. Ellis became the first player to bag a hat-trick on a T20I debut. He dismissed a well-set Mahmudullah (52), Mustafizur (0), and Mahedi Hasan (6) to achieve the feat, which also helped Australia restrict Bangladesh to 127/9.
As we predicted, Matthew Wade came to open for the first time in the series. It still did not help the Australian captain to regain form. Nasum Ahmed (4-1-19-1) removed him in the second over, after Wade’s attempted pull went straight to Shoriful Islam at short fine leg.
Keeping the achievable target in mind, Mitchell Marsh and Ben McDermott were slow and steady, without taking too many risks. They added 63 in 71 balls before Shakib (1-22) gave Bangladesh the much-needed breakthrough by cleaning up McDermott (35).
After getting a lifeline early, by Nurul Hasan, Marsh (51) smashed six fours and a six to notch up his third T20I fifty. But Shoriful (2-29) got him in the 18th over, and from there, Australia lost their control from the game.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 127/9 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 52; Nathan Ellis 3-34) beat Australia 117/4 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 51; Shoriful Islam 2-29) by 10 runs. Player of the Match: Mahmudullah.