Tigers look to extend lead against mighty Aussies
The ball was lowered in the slow wicket of Mirpur from time to time. The spinners got a good turn.
Khan Mutasim Billah LifeEditor
Posted - 2021-08-04T12:23:37+06:00
Updated - 2021-08-04T12:23:37+06:00
It’s back-to-back T20I between Bangladesh and Australia today (August 4) where Bangladesh will look to extend their lead in the series and Australia will try to tackle Bangladesh spinners to equal the series. The second of five-match T20I series is some hours away to take place at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
However, at the end of the first match, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah Riyad expressed disappointment about their batting and said that they were 10 runs short.
In the first match, the Tigers, being asked to bat, had a sedate start to their innings. Last series' best player Soumya Sarkar fell awkwardly to Josh Hazlewood for 2. Naim Sheikh, on the other hand, struck boundaries but his scoring rate of 30 off 29 was on the lower side.
Shakib Al Hasan top scored with 33-ball 36, with skipper Mahmudullah Riyad adding 20. But it was Afif Hossain's crucial 23-run innings that helped Bangladesh to a put on a total of 131 runs to challenge on a difficult pitch.
The ball was lowered in the slow wicket of Mirpur from time to time. The spinners got a good turn. However, if the openers batted responsibly from the beginning, Bangladesh could have scored some more runs. The lack of regular strike-rotation was noticeable.
Although the condition was unfamiliar to the inexperienced Australian team, Bangladesh cricketers should be well acquainted with the behavior of the wicket in Mirpur. So there is nothing wrong with expecting batsmen to look more fluent. At the end of the day, when the captain spoke of less than ten runs, it means that there was more room to do well in batting.
On the other hand, Australia are missing some of big names in their line-up. But it’s in batting, not in bowling. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar all are in Australia’s bowling section. But there is much inexperience in batting, which also showed in the first match.
Stand-in captain Matthew Wade also vows for brave and smart batting against the Bangladeshi spinners. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is seeking advice from their main two spinners- Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar. So if they find answer to the spinners, it will be a cracking game between the two sides without any doubt.
In the second T20I match, Bangladesh are more likely to play with an unchanged XI. While it would not be a surprise to see pace bowling all-rounder Dan Christian in the Aussie XI. If this happens, Ashton Turner will have to sacrifice his place for Christian.
Probable XI:
Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Naim Sheikh, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad (c), Nurul Hasan (wk), Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
Australia: Josh Philippe, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Matthew Wade (c), Dan Christian, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.