T20 WC 2021: AUS vs BAN Review – Australia blow away listless Bangladesh

Australia gave another reality check to Bangladesh as they exited the tournament with another loss. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Aussies defeated Bangladesh quite handsomely by a margin of eight wickets. They chased down a small total of 73 in just 6.2 overs, making sure their net run rate was at the right place.

Earlier in the day, Australian skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to field first. The decision was spot on, given how Bangladesh crumbled against the new ball. They lost three wickets in the first three overs and another one before the powerplay ended. After the field restrictions were done, Adam Zampa came into the attack with his bag full of tricks as the Bangladesh batters were left without any answers.

Mohammad Naim made 17, Mahmudullah scored 16 while Shamim Hossain got 19. And that was about it as Bangladesh were bowled out for 73. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets each while Glenn Maxwell also got one. But, it was Adam Zampa who rocked Bangladesh with his figures of 5 for 19 in four overs.

Once their bowling performance was done, chasing the total was almost close to a formality for the Aussies. Finch smashed 40 runs from 20 balls but was dismissed by Taskin Ahmed. David Warner also made 18 runs from 14 balls before getting out to Shoriful Islam. Mitchell Marsh took the Aussies home in the end with his cameo of 16 runs from five balls.

Top performer:  

Adam Zampa:

The leg spinner has been ever so important and impressive with the ball. Today, he came in after the powerplay when already four wickets were down. He managed to ensure that the proceedings were wrapped up as soon as possible. He showed all his variations tricking the Bangladesh batters and just missed his hat-trick because of a dropped catch. But, a five-for should make him happy nevertheless.

Records/Achievements:

• Bangladesh became only the third team after Kenya (2007) and Afghanistan (last game of 2012 and first game of 2014) to get bowled out for below 100 in two consecutive matches at the T20 World Cups.
• Zampa’s 5 for 19 is now the best figures for any Australia at the T20 World Cup, surpassing James Faulkner’s 5 for 27 against Pakistan in 2016.
• This was the fourth time Bangladesh were bowled out for less than 100 in 2021. No other full member nation has done it more than twice in a single year.

Way ahead:

With this game, Bangladesh’s campaign came to an end. They lost all five matches in the Super 12 round while winning two of their three matches in the qualifying stage. Australia will now face West Indies on November 6, with a quest for qualification.