Bangladesh suffer the first defeat in the fourth match of the 5-match T20 series as they were beaten in the hands of Australia by 3 wickets during the fourth match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. Tigers now lead the series 3-1.
Chasing a low total of 104, Aussies had to grind out the win as Bangladesh bowlers made life difficult for the Aussie batsmen. It was a hard-earned win for Australia and Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad will be proud of his bowlers for the fight they showed defending such a low total. Australia’s Dan Christian’s match changing 15-ball 39 ensured Australia were always ahead of the chase. Ashton Agar's 27-ball 27 at the end was crucial too on this challenging surface.
Defending a low score of 104, Tigers started off brilliantly with the bowl again as Aussie skipper Matthew Wade was bowled by spinner Mahedi Hasan. However, after that batsman Dan Christian’s stormy 15-ball 39 took the game away from Bangladesh. Shakib al Hasan was the unfortunate one, as Christian hit 5 sixes in his over. After that wickets fell at regular intervals for the Aussies and Tigers kept the pressure on but it was not enough as batsman Ashton Agar’s 27 and Ashton Turner’s resolute baiting took their team over the line and gave Aussies a much needed victory. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam grabbed two wickets each.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad elected to bat first. However, Tigers again suffered with the bat as they were restricted at 104/9. As for standout players with the bat, Mohammad Naim's 36-ball 28 didn’t look too bad given Bangladesh finished with only one wicket in hand. Afif Hossain’s 17-ball 20 deserves a shout out too as others failed miserably with the bat. For Australia, pacer Andrew Tye and spinner Mitchell Swepson grabbed three wickets each.
