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Bangladesh Cricket Team recorded their first-ever T20I win against Australia as they beat the Matthew Wade-led side by 23 runs in the first T20I at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka.
Batting first, Mohammad Naim gave the home side a cautious start before skipper Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan added 36 runs for the third wicket to set the platform for the batters to come in and build on. Afif Hossain contributed with a quickfire 23 in the death overs to guide Bangladesh to 131 runs in 20 overs.
While it looked like an easy chase for the star-studded Australian team, the Bangladesh bowlers stood to the task and bowled them out for a mere 101 runs. Nasum Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with 4/19 while Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam picked up two wickets each to secure a 23-run win.
With the first T20I done and dusted, let's take a look at some of the interesting stats that emerged from the contest.
1. Mitchell Starc became the first Australian to pick 50 T20I wickets
Mitchell Starc, who had a brilliant run against West Indies, continued his good form in Bangladesh. He returned with figures of 2/33 in four overs in the first T20I. In the process, the left-arm pacer became the first Australian to scalp 50 T20I wickets.
Starc achieved the record in 39 matches at an economy rate of 7.15. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa is second in the list with 48 scalps and is level with former all-rounder Shane Watson in third.
Although the Aussies lost the match, Mitchell Starc's form with the ball will be a massive relief for them ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.
2. Bangladesh beat Australia for the 1st time in T20Is
With their 23-run win, the Bangla Tigers recorded their first-ever win over Australia in the shortest format. Overall, the two sides have locked horns on five occasions, with Australia emerging winners in the first four matches.
England were the first side to beat the Aussies in 2005 while India recorded their first T20I win over Australia in 2007.
3. Nasum Ahmed records best bowling figures by a left-arm against Australia
The 26-year-old left-arm spinner, who is only in his 5th T20I match, recorded the best figures by a left-armer against Australia in the shortest format. Nasum Ahmed returned with figures of 4/19 at an economy rate of 4.80.
He ran down the Aussie batting with wickets of Josh Phillipe, Mitchell Marsh, skipper Matthew Wade and Ashton Agar as Bangladesh defended a 132-run target.
Obed McCoy (4/26) and Mitchell Santner (4/31) occupy the second and third spots. Interestingly, all three instances have come this year.
4. Mahmudullah becomes first Bangladesh player to score 50 T20I sixes
Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah has smoked 50 T20I sixes, the most by a Bangladesh batsman. Veteran opener Tamim Iqbal (44) and Soumya Sarkar (41) occupy the second and third spots while Shakib Al Hasan (35) is placed fourth.
Meanwhile, Mahmudullah played a crucial knock of 20 runs and added 36 runs with Shaib for the third wicket, which provided the platform for Afif Hossain to swing his bat and post 131 runs on the board.
5. Bangladesh's total of 131/7 is the lowest they have defended in T20I
This is the lowest total Bangladesh have managed to defend in the history of their T20 cricket. The Bangla Tigers went past their previous lowest of 133 against UAE during the 2016 Asia Cup.
Banking on an all-round show from their players, Bangladesh successfully defended 131 runs to begin their last leg of ICC T20 World Cup preparations on a high.
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