Bangladesh’s Tigers secured a flying start to their ODI campaign, defeating cricket giants Australia on home soil for the first time in nearly 21 years.
Bangladesh last defeated Australia in a One-Day International during the 2005 tri-series, a match defined by Mohammad Ashraful’s match-winning century.
The long wait for another victory finally ended as the hosts clinched a clinical victory in the opening match of the three-game series, taking a 1-0 lead under the leadership of Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
On Tuesday (June 9) at Mirpur, Bangladesh was put into bat first after losing the toss and set Australia a competitive target of 284 runs.
In reply, Australia's chase was disrupted by rain after they collapsed to 191 for 9 in 42.2 overs. With no further play possible, Bangladesh was declared winners by 86 runs via the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.
Early Blows Leave Australia Reeling
Australia’s chase got off to a disastrous start as Bangladesh’s pacers struck immediate blows. Taskin Ahmed clean-bowled opener Matthew Short on the very first ball of the innings, sending him back for a golden duck before the batter could even settle.
Mustafizur Rahman compounded Australia's misery in the second over, trapping Marnus Labuschagne leg-before-wicket (LBW) with his second delivery. While the umpire initially turned down the appeal, a successful review by the hosts overturned the decision.
Australian captain Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly attempted to rebuild the innings, but Taskin broke the partnership just as it began to gain momentum. In the first ball of the 11th over, Taskin dismissed Inglis, who departed after scoring 19 off 25 balls.
Spin and Pace In Tandem
Captain Miraz showed great faith in Mosaddek Hossain, who returned to the national side after a four-year hiatus, and the all-rounder did not disappoint.
After playing a career-best knock with the bat, Mosaddek struck in his second over with the ball, clean-bowling a well-set Connolly for 35 off 50 balls.
Fast bowler Nahid Rana then provided crucial breakthroughs at pivotal moments. He dismissed Alex Carey for 47 with a brilliant delivery, ending a dangerous stay.
Mosaddek struck again soon after, dismissing Matt Renshaw for 2 with a sharply turning delivery. Unable to get into the line of the ball, Renshaw was trapped LBW; after a brief hesitation, he chose not to review.
Nahid then used his searing pace to dismantle the lower order. Debutant Liam Scott was undone by a 146 km/h bouncer, offering a catch to Towhid Hridoy at gully after scoring just 2.
Xavier Bartlett followed shortly after, dismissed for 1 run by another sharp bouncer clocked at 148.5 km/h.
Mosaddek Shines in the Field
Following his stellar performances with both bat and ball, Mosaddek capped off his comeback match with a spectacular piece of fielding.
Nathan Ellis attempted to loft a cutter from Mustafizur Rahman over the covers. Misjudging the timing, Ellis's shot went high into the air.
Mosaddek tracked the ball from mid-off, sprinting towards the boundary to take a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch, dismissing Ellis for 8 and bringing Bangladesh to the brink of victory.
As the Bangladesh camp prepared to celebrate, lightning and adverse weather halted play for 30 minutes. With no further play possible due to the persistent weather interference, Bangladesh officially wrapped up an 86-run victory under the DLS method.
The First Innings Setup
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh was asked to bat first but suffered an early setback as opener Saif Hassan departed for just 5.
Opening batsman Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Najmul Hossain Shanto then stabilized the innings with a vital 97-run partnership. Tamim played a brisk knock of 54 off 44 balls, smashing seven boundaries and a six, before being dismissed.
Litton Das failed to make an impact, falling for 7, which brought Towhid Hridoy to the crease to partner Shanto. Shanto top-scored at the top of the order with a well-composed 67 off 86 balls, including nine fours and a six, before losing his wicket.
Mosaddek joined Hridoy at number 6. While Hridoy struggled to find his rhythm before getting out for 31 off 51 balls, Mosaddek batted fluently.
Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz had a brief, shaky stay, scoring just 3 runs off 12 balls, unable to save himself even with a review.
Despite a dipping run rate in the middle overs, Mosaddek kept the scoreboard ticking. Following Miraz's dismissal, Taskin Ahmed stepped up effectively with the bat.
The crucial late-order partnership between Mosaddek and Taskin guided Bangladesh to a robust total of 284 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. Mosaddek remained unbeaten on a magnificent 86 runs off 70 balls.
