Aus v Ban World T20 Review: Australia secure crucial points in a closely contested match

Australia’s captain Steven Smith won the toss and later a much-needed match after choosing to send Bangladesh in to bat in a vital World T20 match for both sides at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Mahmudullah batted brilliantly for an unbeaten 49 off 29 balls to take his team to a total of 156/5, however, a splendid 58 off 45 balls from Aussie opener Usman Khawaja helped his team in a close run-chase.

Australia brought John Hastings in for Ashton Agar in the only change to the side that lost their opening match in Dharamsala after the tour selectors decided against recalling Aaron Finch. Bangladesh had to cope with the loss of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny due to queries over their bowling actions. They were replaced in the squad and the XI by left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib and off-spinning all-rounder Shuvagata Hom, both of whom only joined the team on Sunday night. Sajib made his international debut.

Mashrafe Mortaza’s team were also missing Tamim Iqbal due to illness, with Mohammad Mithun moving up the order to replace him. Mustafizur Rahman returned to the side after recovering from an injury he sustained during the Asia Cup last month.

Having lost their opening Super 10 matches against New Zealand and Pakistan respectively, both sides know that a second defeat in a row could almost certainly eliminate them from the tournament and, at best, leave their fate in the hands of other results elsewhere.

Bangladesh was limping to an underwhelming 130 before Mahmudallah stepped up and lifted his side to a competitive total with a late flurry. Opener Mohammad Mithun made 23 off 22 while his partner Soumya Sarkar disappointed by making 1 off 6 balls. It was Shane Watson (2/31) who took Sarkar’s wicket while man-of-the-match Adam Zampa (3/26) got into the act after removing Mithun who was the third man out for his team.

Sabbir Rahman hit 2 fours in his knock of 12 however failed to last long as Watson got his second wicket. Shakib Al Hasan batted well for 33 off 25 balls including 3 fours and one six. He and Shuvagata Hom (13) were two others to fall prey to Zampa’s leg-spin. Finishing unbeaten and one short of a well-deserved half-century, Mahmudallah hit seven fours a furious six – the half-dozen coming from clean strike off returning all-rounder John Hastings. At one stage, between overs 19 and 20, the right-hander crashed four boundaries in five balls, denying the Australians a routine run chase.

While much of the attention has been focused on Aaron Finch’s exclusion, Usman Khawaja has made the most of his inclusion in Australia’s T20 outfit at the top of the order. No batsman in Australia’s squad is in better form than the languid left-hander, and on Monday night, a sterling 58 not only justified his selection but cemented his position. Like he did in Dharamshala against the Black Caps, Khawaja got off to a flyer, starting with two to the leg-side before sending Mashrafe Mortaza back over his head for his sole maximum.

Khawaja combined with Shane Watson (21) for 62 for the opening wicket, teamed up with his captain Smith (14) to put on another 33, and added a further 20 with David Warner (17) before he was bowled behind his legs by Al-Amin Hossain (1/14) to end his 45-ball stay. Wickets off Mitchell Marsh (6) Glenn Maxwell (26) and John Hastings (3) made things interesting however James.