Ban vs Aus 2021: Bangladesh beat Australia by five wickets to take 2-0 lead in the series

Bangladesh registered a five-wicket victory against Australia in the second T20I at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Australian skipper Matthew Wade won the toss once again and this time elected to bat first. But on a tricky wicket, Australia lost both their openers in the powerplay. Alex Carey was dismissed by Mahedi Hasan and Josh Philippe was sent back by Mustafizur Rahman.

Mitchell Marsh, who impressed with the bat in the first T20I, once again steadied the ship for Australia, adding 57 runs for the third wicket with Moises Henriques.

But Shakib Al Hasan bowled Henriques for 30 after which Australia lost wickets in a heap. The visitors collapsed from 88-2 in 14.2 overs to 106-7 in 18.2 overs. Australia eventually finished on 121 runs with Marsh top-scoring with 45 from 42 balls.

Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, picking up three wickets for 23 runs in four overs.

Nurul Hasan, Afif Hossain help Bangladesh take 2-0 lead over Australia

A target of 122 was just about par on a challenging wicket. The hosts got their run chase off to a horrid start, losing both openers in the span of 19 balls. Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Naim both saw their stumps shattered by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood respectively.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mahedi Hasan provided stability to the Bangladesh innings and added 37 runs for the third wicket before the southpaw fell to Andrew Tye for 26.

Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah did not last long and was dismissed by Ashton Agar for 0. When Mahedi was dismissed for 23, the hosts had lost half of their side for 67 and still needed 55 runs from 52 balls to seal the win.

But Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan ensured there were no further hiccups and guided Bangladesh to a five-wicket win with eight balls to spare.

With the win, the hosts are 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series. The third match is scheduled to take place on 6 August.

About the author

Meit is a cricket journalist who has been writing for Sportskeeda since over eight years, writing listicles. A Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Legislative Laws and Company Secretary degree holder, Meit engages in ethical reporting by verifying information twice from multiple websites before penning down any content for the benefit of his readers.

A passionate fan of Team India, Cricket has a special place in his heart owing to the way the sport has continued to evolve over the years. He is also thrilled by the competitiveness on display across all formats in the sport. His favorite cricketer is Sachin Tendulkar and reckons that his childhood idol's dominance over world-class bowlers in the 1990s speaks volumes about his skills and achievements.

Meit has had the privilege of interviewing Indian speedster Ishant Sharma and India Women's legend Mithali Raj so far in his professional career.

If he ever laid his hands on a time machine, Meit would love to witness the 2023 ICC World Cup final between India and Australia and believes that ODIs should never be completely replaced by T20Is owing to the format's popularity.

When not working, he likes to read and travel.

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