CWC 2019: AUS vs BAN Review – Another Warner hundred, another Aussie win
When David Warner finished as the highest run-scorer in IPL 2019, the signs were ominous for teams around the world. In what can only be described as the ‘year of redemption’, a rejuvenated Warner looks hungry. For runs, for success, for compensation. On Thursday, the Bangladesh cricket team was forced to witness another gem from the southpaw. The only difference – it wasn’t the usual Warner spectacle but a more controlled knock for the most part of the Aussie innings. And it’s probably what has defined Australia’s success in the World Cup so far.
With a 48-run victory over Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, Australia have collected 2 more points to climb atop the points table. As for Bangladesh, another loss means they slip further below in the table and distant from qualification.
Ton-up Warner leads Australia’s batting charge
Alongside his partner Aaron Finch, Warner continued his purple patch by stitching a phenomenal 121-run stand for the first wicket. After an initial burst of hitting the ball straight to the fielders on a tricky wicket, he picked up and blazed away to his second century of this World Cup. In a tournament that hasn’t seen more than 3 half-century partnerships, the Warner-Finch duo recorded their 5th 50-run stand. Finch succumbed to a soft dismissal after bringing up his fifty, but Warner and Usman Khawaja (89 off 72 balls) kept the scoreboard ticking. In at No.4, Glenn Maxwell scored a quickfire 10-ball 32 before a freak run-out ended his stay at the crease.
Bangladesh’s insipid bowling performance
Bangladesh missed their in-form bowlers Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin and it reflected in a forgettable day on the field. None of their frontline bowlers managed to crack open the Aussie innings for the longest time. It was part-timer Soumya Sarkar who got the first breakthrough in the 21st over and followed it up with two more wickets to dismantle the top order. But it was too late. Both Khawaja and Warner settled comfortably in the middle overs and then went on to demolish the bowling in the death overs. Warner’s ill-timed dismissal robbed him of his maiden ODI double hundred, but he had done his job by then. Australia finished with 381/5 – their second highest first innings total in a World Cup and the third highest in this edition. In the last 10 overs, Australia smashed 131 runs!
Mushfiqur ton in vain as Tigers crumble under pressure
Chasing 322 is one thing. Climbing a mountain of 382 against the Australian bowling attack is a different story altogether. Bangladesh couldn’t afford to be on the defensive and needed their openers to lay a solid foundation. But they lost their opener Sarkar to a brilliant left-handed direct hit from Finch. The onus was on Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, the hero who took them home against the West Indies. The duo added 79-runs for the second wicket before Marcus Stoinis got the prized scalp of Shakib (41 off 41 balls).
Still, Bangladesh had their hopes pinned on Tamim (62 off 74 balls) and Liton Das (20 of 17 balls) even as the asking rate soared above the sky. But Starc managed to clean up Tamim and Adam Zampa ensured Liton’s heroics weren’t repeated. Australia would’ve liked to believe they had half the match in the bag. But with Bangladesh, it’s literally not over till the last ball is bowled. Mahmudullah’s 50-ball 69 and a hard-fought century from Mushfiqur Rahim almost took them over the line. Bangladesh ended up with 333/8 -their highest total in ODI cricket but still fell short enough to concede their third successive World Cup loss against Australia.
Key takeaways
A 48-run loss may seem too big and affect their Net Run Rate, but the fact that Bangladesh showed intent will go a long way in boosting their team’s morale. Despite Shakib’s off day, the rest of the batters came together to conjure up another interesting chase. Their bowlers though, need to go back to the drawing board. Bangladesh can only think of winning their remaining games for a sneak peek into qualification.
It’s a different Australia that’s playing out there. Their team combination is under constant chop-and-change and their batting is not the most fluent. Warner is piling the runs, but not in the most convincing fashion. Their bowling department too needs to work out a better plan to take all 10 wickets. With their semi-final spot almost confirmed, Australia can now focus on ironing out the little chinks.
