DHAKA, Bangladesh – Cricket history was made in Dhaka on Thursday, as Bangladesh sealed a landmark five-wicket victory over Australia in the second One Day International, securing their first ever series win against the reigning world champions in the 50-over format.
The match was disrupted by lengthy rain delays, forcing officials to adjust the target to 192 runs from 41 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Bangladesh’s chase never looked under serious threat late on, with the hosts crossing the finish line with 36 full deliveries remaining, building an unbeatable 2-0 lead heading into the final match of the three-game series.
The day began with massive early momentum for Bangladesh, when Australia’s top order collapsed completely in their opening two overs. Australia became just the fourth team in ODI history to lose their first three wickets for no score, with opening bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman tearing through the visitors’ top order inside 12 balls. Taskin trapped opener Matthew Short lbw with a sharp inswinger, before Mustafizur claimed back-to-back wickets in the second over, drawing outside edges from Cooper Connolly and Matt Renshaw. By the 2-over mark, Australia was reeling at 0-3.
A remarkable seventh-wicket partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett dragged Australia back into the match. Labuschagne finished unbeaten on 55, while Bartlett hit a quick 52, putting on a 103-run stand to lift Australia to 187-8 from 42 overs before rain cut their innings short. Taskin ended the partnership by dismissing Bartlett, and removed Adam Zampa on the very next delivery, only missing out on a hat-trick after Nathan Ellis survived the final delivery of the over. Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam claimed the wickets of Australian captain Josh Inglis and Cameron Green, finishing with two key scalps. Taskin and Mustafizur ended with three wickets apiece, laying the foundation for Bangladesh’s win.
“Anytime you lose three wickets that early, it’s always tough to recover,” said Australian skipper Josh Inglis after the match. “I thought the partnership between Marnus and Xavier was outstanding. They got us to a total that was probably below par, but at least it gave us something to bowl at.”
Play was held up for nearly three hours due to rain before Bangladesh began their chase. The hosts got off to a rocky start, losing opening batter Tanzid Hasan in the very first over. However, a solid 86-run second-wicket stand between Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar steadyed the innings, with both batters reaching 42 runs before falling in quick succession to Australian bowling. Wickets of Litton Das (18) and Mosaddek Hossain (15) followed, leaving Bangladesh’s chase in danger of collapsing with just over 50 runs still needed.
An unbeaten 51-run partnership between Towhid Hridoy and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz held firm to seal the historic win. Towhid finished the match unbeaten on 40, with Miraz adding an unbeaten 22 to guide Bangladesh to 195-5, five wickets and 36 balls to spare.
The historic win extends Bangladesh’s incredible home ODI form to five consecutive series victories, following earlier wins over Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand. Speaking after the match, Bangladesh vice-captain Shanto expressed his pride in the team’s achievement.
“It’s an amazing feeling, and the way we played this series, we showed a lot of courage,” Shanto said. “We have been working really hard in the last few months and the way we played the last two matches, it’s outstanding. And I’m really proud to be a part of this team.”
Australia, the reigning ODI World Cup champions, entered the series missing many of their top international players. Thursday’s loss marks their second consecutive ODI series defeat, following a 2-1 loss to Pakistan earlier this month.