Aussies punish Tigers by 3 wkts

Australia made Bangladesh pay a heavy price for their lackluster display in the field and came out in front by three wickets in the vital Super Ten match of ICC WT20 2016 at Bangalore tonight.

Bangladesh saw the match slip out of their grasp due to a dropped catch from Al Amin and a missed run-out chance by Mushy late in the innings. The overall fielding by Tigers left a lot to be desired.

Usman Khwaja was the highest scorer in Australia’s successful chase. He contributed with 58 runs at the top. Maxwell’s late cameo was essential in getting Australia home.

Shakib captured three for 27 while Mustafizur took 2 for 30 in four overs respectively. Certain decisions taken at significant junctures of the tense match by Tigers captain Mashrafe were not in the best interest of his team in hindsight

Shakib picked his third wicket with the last ball of his spell as Hastings slogged his shot straight down the throat of Soumya at deep mid-wicket.

The 18th over of Aussie chase saw two wickets fall. Shakib sent back Maxwell for 26 runs. Maxwell got the important boundaries off Mustafizur in the previous over, went down the wicket in the first ball and was easily stumped by Mushy.

Mustafizur gave Tigers fans something to cheer about in the 17th over. His off-cutter bamboozled Marsh and the Aussie batsman was caught out for six runs.

The leading edge from Marsh was taken safely by Shakib running back.

Shakib Al Hasan got his first wicket in the 15th over, and gave his team some hope of defending 156 by removing the dangerous David Warner.

Warner was going great guns, smashed 17 from nine balls before he gave Shakib a return catch off a full toss on leg.

Aussies lost their fourth batsman when the score was 119.

Al Amin gave Bangladesh their third wicket in the 14th over, and rocked Australia’s chase with the decisive blow to send back Usman Khwaja.

Khwaja was the mainstay in Australia’s innings, and reached his first T20I half century in this match. He scored 58 from 45 with seven fours and a beautiful six over long-off.

Bangladesh got their second breakthrough after a breezy 33-run partnership between Aussie captain Smith and Khwaja in the 12th over.

Mustafizur deceived Smith, as the batter was expecting a short of length cutter but the left-arm pacer delivered a swinging yorker. Smith fell for 14.

Bangladesh managed to stop the first wicket stand at 61 when a run out resulted in the departure of Shane Watson against the play.

Watson scored 21 from 15 with two fours and a six, but paid the ultimate price for sloppy running between the wickets.

Aussie opener Usman Khwaja batted with confidence and gave his side a strong start chasing 157. He made sure the loose balls didn’t go unpunished.

The new ball was coming on nicely on to the bat under the lights at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Earlier, a timely knock in real quick time from Mahmudullah pushed Bangladesh to 156 for 5 after 20 overs against a spirited Aussie team at Bangalore under the lights.

Mahmudullah was unbeaten on 49 (seven fours and a six), his third highest T20I score and was instrumental in the 51-run stand for the sixth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim.

For Australia, Adam Zampa was the most successful bowler tonight with three wickets for 23 runs in four overs. Watson took two wickets in his quota of overs.

Shakib Al Hasan looked good, but his cameo lasted only 25 balls and produced 33 handy runs late in the innings.

Tigers allrounder was by Coulter-Nile at short third man as Shakib could not keep his cut shot down. Zampa got his third scalp of the day.

Immaturity got the better of Shuvagata in the 12th over, as he was trapped plumb in front after smashing a six and a four in the previous two deliveries.

The promotion up the order didn’t work out for Shuvagata as he only managed to score 13 runs from 10 balls.

A decent total for Tigers now depended on Shakib and Mahmudullah at the crease.

After a 37-run stand for the third wicket when it seemed Bangladesh got back into the game, Australia spinner Zampa struck a crucial blow in the tenth over.

Mohammad Mithun scored 23 from 22 with a four and a majestic six over cover, but could not dispatch a short ball from Zampa as he found the fielder in the deep.

Bangladesh were rocked in the sixth over of their innings, when Sabbir was dismissed after a scratchy 12 from 17 balls.

After several play and misses, failure to dispatch the loose balls down the leg or wide on off, Sabbir tried a lofted shot over mid-off but failed to clear the fielder.

Australia managed to keep up the pressure from both ends, and Tigers batters found boundaries hard to come by.

It took Australia eight balls to send back the out-of form Soumya Sarkar, and the Bangladesh opener almost gifted his wicket by chasing a really wide ball from Watson.

Australia struck in the second over, and Soumya’s poor run does not seem to end.

Poor start from the Tigers…

Australia captain Steven Smith won the toss and opted to field first given the conditions at Bangalore against Bangladesh led by Mashrafe Mortaza in the crucial Super Ten match of ICC WT20 2016.

Both teams come into the fixture at the back of defeats. Another reverse would severely debilitate the losing team's chances of making out of an intricately poised group.

Different because while Australia have acknowledged the predicament caused by the New Zealand defeat, Bangladesh's strategy has been thrown off following suspensions to their lead pacer Taskin Ahmed and the left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny.

Aside from the trauma of being ejected from the competition, they have presented the coach Chandika Hathurusingha with his own selection conundrum about who comes in.

The batting allrounder Shuvagata Hom and left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib are their likely replacements, the latter chosen for the first time.

The fact both men bowl spin will be a reminder of what this tournament is calling for: by the end of Monday night Australia and Bangladesh will know whether they stand a chance of finding the right combination for it.

If the bulk of the Australian players have Indian Premier League (IPL) experience to moot, Bangladesh's players have an 'A' tour of India late last year, one that featured several of the senior team members, to thank for their apparent familiarity with the conditions.

Mashrafe Mortaza's men couldn't have asked for a better time to play an Australian side still grappling with the idea of T20 combinations, but off-field developments threaten to leave them under-cooked for a crucial clash.

The conditions in Bengaluru are not alien to their players - short boundaries, true pitch, lots of runs.

Bangladesh

Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shuvagata Hom, Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Saqlain Sajib, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman

Australia

Usman Khawaja, Shane Watson, Steven Smith (Captain), David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Peter Nevill (Wicketkeeper), John Hastings, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa

The official coin of ICC World T20 2016 at India used for the toss. Photo: ICC