Match report
Summary
All in all, a dominant performance from Australia, though not without things to work on. It’s been a good introduction to Bangladeshi conditions for the Australians, who have learnt a lot about the bounce in the pitch. That bounce led to a fair few of those extras, as Healy struggled to contain some of the byes and leg byes that flew through around her. With the World Cup coming up later this year, this experience will be invaluable.
For Bangladesh there is plenty to work on – they will be disappointed especially to lose three wickets through run outs. It’s a good lesson in keeping a cool head when bowlers are building the pressure. Two of the run outs came from pure frustration at not being able to get off strike. The third could have been avoided if Joty had slid her bat, which is a fairly unforgivable error at this level, especially for the captain.
The teams meet again for the second ODI in the series on Sunday and both will go away with plenty to work on before then. Despite the big difference in the score, it’s been compelling viewing and Sunday should be just as interesting!
A good start to the series for Australia – they will be happy with the recovery they made to their batting innings after losing plenty of wickets early and struggling to find runs. Their bowling was also top class, despite giving away too many extras. There are elements to work on, but they’ll be happy to have the win on the board. For Bangladesh, there were certainly things to like – a good early bowling performance and the makings of some good batting partnerships at the top of the order. But they have plenty of work to do to close the gap before the next match.
Australia win by 118 runs
There was some fight from Bangladesh early, despite losing a wicket in the first over, but eventually Australia’s relentless bowling wore them down. Though Australia will be unhappy with the extras they gave away – 23, making extras the second-highest runscorer for Bangladesh after the captain Nigar Sultana Joty.
WICKET! Marufa Akter lbw Gardner 0 (Bangladesh 95)
Marufa Akter can’t get her pads out of the way and Gardner finishes the game off with a nice LBW.
WICKET! Sultana Khatun c Perry b Gardner 2 (Bangladesh 95-9)
Khatun goes after it, with one hand off the bat and swings hard for her pull shot, but it goes straight to Perry a few metres in from the boundary.
35th over: Bangladesh 95-8 (Nahida 3, Khatun 2) Schutt returns – she had a very good spell at the start of this innings, but I nearly forgot about how good it was because so much has happened since then! Apologies Megan, that was a bit of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ from me. She picks up from where she left off, with three dot balls to start, before Khatun manages to dash through for a quick single when Litchfield doesn’t pick up the ball cleanly. Just the one run from the over, another good one from Schutt.
34th over: Bangladesh 92-8 (Nahida 2, Khatun 2) Indeed King is bowling her 10 overs straight – a good call from Healy to keep her on while she’s bowling so well and so economically. King really wants another wicket from this last over, she’s putting so much flight on the ball and nearly picks up a caught and bowled late in the over, but she just can’t get across to the ball in time. A fantastic spell from King – she’ll be in the mix for player of the match, surely!
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33rd over: Bangladesh 92-7 (Nahida 2, Khatun 0) Garth comes on for another over, buoyed by the wicket in her last. And she quickly picks up a second wicket, which is followed by drinks, just to really build the anticipation for Khatun to come to the crease. A wicket maiden for Garth, an excellent over from her.
WICKET! Rabeya b Garth 5 (Bangladesh 92-8)
Garth finds perfect line and length and there’s nothing Rabeya can do about it, the ball crashes through to take out her stumps and Bangladesh are reeling.
32nd over: Bangladesh 92-7 (Nahida 2, Rabeya 5) It seems King might just bowl her 10 overs all in a row – and why not? She’s making things happen here. Rabeya manages to play a nice sweep shot, but it find Perry on the first bounce and it’s just a single. The required run rate keeps on creeping up and while it’s not impossible, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Bangladesh can pull off a miracle.
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31st over: Bangladesh 91-7 (Nahida 2, Rabeya 4) Garth continues with her spell and is delighted to pick up her first wicket to really expose the tail. Nahida comes to the crease and she is very cautious and defensive, knowing how dangerous these Australian bowlers are. A misfield from Garth from her own bowling helps Nahida get off the mark straight down the ground.
WICKET! Shorna c Litchfield b Garth 6 (Bangladesh 89-7)
Garth drew Shorna in and Shorna went after her, but mistimed the shot to send it pretty much straight up in the air for a pretty regulation catch from Litchfield.
30th over: Bangladesh 89-6 (Shorna 6, Rabeya 4) Two slips in for King now, Australia can sense another wicket coming and they’re keen to finish this game off quickly. She cramps Rabeya up, but then misses her line late in the over and Rabeya sweeps it away for two after King had done so well to build up the pressure.
29th over: Bangladesh 87-6 (Shorna 6, Rabeya 2) Garth gives up a wide early in the over – the extras are the main way the pressure is being released at present. Rabeya manages to get off the mark soon after and then Shorna adds another single. Garth tightens up and Rabeya can’t do more than defend, but manages to find another single next ball with a little flick off her pads.
28th over: Bangladesh 83-6 (Shorna 5, Rabeya 0) King is still going with her spell – she’s so accurate and so efficient. Her overs fly by – quick even compared to other spinners. It doesn’t give the batters a chance to settle, they’re always on their toes, never feeling comfortable. It’s another maiden from King.
27th over: Bangladesh 83-6 (Shorna 5, Rabeya 0) Garth returns to the attack – she was not in top form earlier today when she bowled her first spell, but after some time to consider her line and length in the context of this pitch she’ll hope to have a better second spell. The first ball is good, but on the second, Shorna manages to flick one away off her pads to send it nearly to the boundary at deep midwicket. There’s yet another run out midway through the over and it’s the all-important wicket of the captain Joty. Rabeya comes to the crease, but she’s got a huge task ahead of her to try to turn this game around.
WICKET! Joty run out Healy 5 (Bangladesh 83-6)
Very lazy running from Joty, she didn’t even attempt to ground her bat and Healy whips the bails off as her foot is poised over the crease.
26th over: Bangladesh 81-5 (Shorna 3, Joty 27) King bowls her sixth consecutive over, with more than half the overs of this innings bowled now and Bangladesh well behind the required run rate. A little bit more momentum for Bangladesh this over, managing four runs from it.
25th over: Bangladesh 77-5 (Shorna 0, Joty 26) Perry and King are relentless from both ends, what a nightmare for the Bangladeshi batters with no relief from this bowling onslaught. There’s nearly another run out in a Perry over, but Wareham’s throw is wide of the stumps and Healy can’t collect the ball to finish it off.
24th over: Bangladesh 76-5 (Shorna 0, Joty 25) King keeps on hitting an impeccable line and length and there’s not much Bangladesh can do in the face of this bowling. All their effort is going into defending and they can’t focus on trying to build the run rate. It’s another maiden from King, fantastic bowling from her today.
23rd over: Bangladesh 76-5 (Shorna 0, Joty 25) Perry starts with a short ball and it’s immediately ruled as a wide. She tidies up her length and it’s very frustrating for the batters. And once again, Perry builds this pressure, frustrates the batters into taking a run they shouldn’t and there’s a run out. Perry should get some credit for both of these run outs. Another very good over from her, despite two wides coming from it.
WICKET! Moni run out Mooney 1 (Bangladesh 75-5)
Again the pressure builds and Bangladesh take an ill-advised run. This time it’s Mooney with the direct hit, with only one stump to look at.
22nd over: Bangladesh 74-4 (Moni 1, Joty 25) King is getting really nice flight with the ball and comes very close to getting an edge two balls in a row, drawing Moni in. It’s a maiden from King – very nice bowling from her so far today.
21st over: Bangladesh 74-4 (Moni 1, Joty 25) Perry continues with her strangling line and length. Joty is facing up and eventually she manages to find a single. Moni is still trying to find a way to get off the mark. Eventually she manages it with a little flash outside the off stump and Joty looks for another single from the last, but she can only manage to defend.
20th over: Bangladesh 72-4 (Moni 0, Joty 24) Another over for King and Moni is playing very defensively to her after an early single from Joty. There’s still a lot of bounce in this pitch and it’s not in any way predictable.
19th over: Bangladesh 71-4 (Moni 0, Joty 23) Perry comes into the attack for the first time and gives us a little break from spin. Fahima faces up to her first ball and swings at it outside off stump but doesn’t make contact. The second ball crashes into Fahima’s pads, but the umpire is unmoved by Perry’s appeal. Perry then offers up a low full toss, but Fahima can’t capitalise and just gently plays it back to the bowler. It’s a fairly relentless line and length from Perry and Fahima is looking frustrated at not being able to get off strike – which then leads to the run out at the end of the over. Great pressure from Perry.
WICKET! Fahima run out Litchfield 1 (Bangladesh 71-4)
A terrible mix up sees Fahima well out of her crease and Litchfield picks up a direct hit run out with an excellent throw.
18th over: Bangladesh 71-3 (Fahima 1, Joty 23) King’s second over and she almost immediately picks up the wicket of Sobhana. Fahima gets off the mark straight away, the only run from the over.
WICKET! Sobhana b King 17 (Bangladesh 70-3)
Soon after the break, Sobhana gets down to sweep and King bowls her around her legs. A big breakthrough!
Drinks are on the field now, so a short break in proceedings.
17th over: Bangladesh 70-2 (Sobhana 17, Joty 23) Continuing the spin from both ends, Wareham resumes her spell and Joty gets down low for a nice sweep early, before Sobhana scores her first runs for a while with a beautiful cut shot to the boundary. A good over for Bangladesh after the runs drying up for the previous few.
16th over: Bangladesh 64-2 (Sobhana 12, Joty 22) King comes into the attack for the first time after her excellent contribution with the bat. Her first ball has near perfect length, but clips Joty’s pads for leg byes and the second is a similar length with a slightly straighter line that runs away for byes. It’s a decent first over from King.
15th over: Bangladesh 60-2 (Sobhana 12, Joty 21) Wareham resumes and she’s putting some nice flight on the ball – getting it up above the batters’ eyeline. However, a misfield from King releases some pressure and Joty picks up another boundary after waiting on the ball and guiding it through the field.
14th over: Bangladesh 56-2 (Sobhana 12, Joty 17) Another over for Gardner and the first ball is an obvious leave from Joty, but still it bounces up high and almost evades Healy. It’s so unpredictable out there, even when the bat is nowhere near the ball. There’s a big appeal for what looks like an inside edge late in the over, but the umpire isn’t interested.
13th over: Bangladesh 55-2 (Sobhana 12, Joty 16) It looks like an edge is caught from the first ball of Wareham’s over, but there’s no appeal and it appears to have missed the bat and gloves. That bouncy pitch is making it seem like there are more edges than there really are – and there have been quite a few edges as it stands! Sobhana picks up another boundary and Bangladesh are finding some momentum.
12th over: Bangladesh 51-2 (Sobhana 8, Joty 16) Gardner bowling in her sunnies, channelling Alana King here. Another edge pops up and flies over the keeper – there is so much bounce in this pitch. The commentators suggest the old Under 9s backstop fielding position and it’s honestly not a bad call with the way this pitch is playing…
11th over: Bangladesh 47-2 (Sobhana 8, Joty 12) Wareham comes into the attack for the first time with her legspin. She’s attacking the stumps from the start and she’s finding the edge, but Bangladesh are getting some luck with these edges so far and they’re often flying to the boundary.
10th over: Bangladesh 40-2 (Sobhana 8, Joty 9) Gardner resumes after her successful first over. Second ball of the over, Joty’s eyes light up as Gardner puts one in a little short. Joty pounces and slog sweeps it to the boundary to get off the mark. Next ball there’s a little outside edge, but it just evades Mooney in slips and again flies to the boundary. And then again next ball, she tries some kind of crazy paddle shot, doesn’t quite pull it off, but it doesn’t matter, it’s also off to the boundary, plus a wide given as well. Very expensive over from Gardner.
Updated
9th over: Bangladesh 26-2 (Sobhana 8, Joty 0) Schutt continues – it has been a great spell from her so far, so no surprise Healy wants to see more from her while she’s up and about. The Bangladesh batters can’t do much else but defend their stumps. It’s not until the final ball of the over that they’re able to release some pressure through a leg bye.
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8th over: Bangladesh 24-2 (Sobhana 7, Joty 0) A strange thing about this YouTube feed is that we can’t hear anything from the ground – only the commentary. There’s something eerie about that. Gardner doesn’t mind that we can’t hear her though, she gets a wicket with her second ball and Murshdia, who has been the dominant batter of the pair, is gone. Joty comes to the crease and she looks confident early.
WICKET! Murshida c Mooney b Gardner 10 (Bangladesh 21-2)
Mooney makes no mistake with the catch this time and Gardner has a wicket with her second ball.
7th over: Bangladesh 21-1 (Sobhana 7, Murshida 10) Schutt is bowling very tidily, but would probably have hoped to have at least one more wicket by now. This over is a maiden from her – her tightest yet.
6th over: Bangladesh 21-1 (Sobhana 7, Murshida 10) A good ball from Garth to start this over and Sobhana wisely leaves it. So she bowls another in the same place and Sobhana decides to do the same thing and leave it again. And then again on the third ball. Is this some kind of game of chicken? How many times will we have the same ball replayed? YouTube cuts to a commercial and of course that’s the time that Garth and Sobhana change their dance and Sobhana picks up a boundary. Apparently it was an edge through deep backward point.
5th over: Bangladesh 16-1 (Sobhana 2, Murshida 10) Schutt again and Sobhana will get a few balls to show what she can do after Murshida having the most of the strike so far. She defends a couple of balls back to Schutt before finding space through third for a single. Schutt changes her angle and comes around the wicket to Murshida and she gets her defending – it’s another very tight over from Schutt.
4th over: Bangladesh 15-1 (Sobhana 1, Murshida 10) Garth resumes and her line is much better at the start of this over. But she slightly misses her length midway through the over and Murshida picks up her second boundary with a lovely cover drive. After a nervous start, Bangladesh have settled and both batters are starting to look comfortable at the crease.
3rd over: Bangladesh 10-1 (Sobhana 1, Murshida 6) Schutt continues her spell and Mushida looks more cautious, seeing the swing Schutt is continuing to generate. Another edge from Schutt’s bowling flies straight to Mooney at slip, but she can’t hold it – Schutt will be very disappointed with that drop. After that let off, Murshida gets herself off strike and Sobhana gets her first look at Schutt, safely defending the last ball of the over.
2nd over: Bangladesh 9-1 (Sobhana 1, Murshida 5) Garth with the new ball from the other end and she starts to Sobhana who hasn’t faced a ball yet. Garth beats her with an outswinger first ball and she’s probably happy she didn’t get bat on it because it likely would have flown straight to Healy. Next ball, Sobhana plays one nice and straight and dashes down for a single to get off the mark. Then we get one of the weird quirks of a wicketkeeper captain when Healy runs down to give Garth some pointers. Is it just me who feels ill at ease seeing the wicketkeeper and the bowler standing next to each other? Unfortunately whatever advice Healy had hasn’t done the trick – Garth bowls a wide and next ball Bangladesh pick up their first boundary through Murshida. This hasn’t been a brilliant start for Garth, she’s missed her line on a number of occasions.
1st over: Bangladesh 1-1 (Sobhana 0, Murshida 0) Schutt gets swing right from the start, but she begins with a wide before tightening up her line. Her third ball (the second of the over because of that wide) gets the edge she’s looking for and brings a new batter to the crease. It’s a very good over from Schutt – the wicket and just the one extra from it.
WICKET! Fargana Hoque Pinky c Healy b Schutt 0
Not the start Bangladesh were after, Schutt getting the wicket on just her third ball. The ball catches the edge of the bat and the opener has to go.
All the chat over on Twitter is about Alana King naturally. Sutherland was the anchor at the end, but King’s incredible late hitting in the last over might be the difference. What can she do with the ball? Teams are heading back out on to the field now and it looks like Megan Schutt has the new ball.
Don’t forget that if you’ve got questions, thoughts or some kind of thought-question combination, you can send me an email or tweet at me using the links above. I love hearing from you, especially when you have predictions for what’s to come in the match or especially complicated theories about some aspect of the game.
If you’ve been at work today and you’ve finally settled down on the couch to watch this game, welcome! You’ve got some time in the innings break to scroll back through Geoff’s wonderful prose and get yourself caught up. Another fun thing for you to do during this break is get yourself caught up on this series as a whole by reading my series preview from yesterday.
Thanks Geoff, I always love your work. Hello everyone, it’s a pleasure to be your host for the second innings this lovely Thursday evening (or morning, or afternoon depending where in world you’re joining us from). So far, the Bangladesh Cricket YouTube channel has served us well to guide you through this match, so please keep your fingers crossed it continues to do so as we make our way through this run chase.
That’s it from me, your friend for the run chase will be Megan Maurice.
Bangladesh need 214 to win
It feels safe to say that Bangladesh have blown that. They were all over Australia early, even with some dropped catches and misfields. Five down for 78, six down for 112 when Gardner was out. But Sutherland is playing so well that she found a way, Wareham gave support, then King finished in style. As they usually do when they have a bad start, Australia got away with thanks to depth.
Of course we’ll have to see what Bangladesh can do in reply, but they have never made as many as 214 to win a one-day chase, and they’ve only ever won twice when chasing more than 200.
Sheesh. Twenty nine runs from the final over.
50th over: Australia 213-7 (Sutherland 58, King 46) Fahima with the 50th over, not sure she’s the right call when they’re going to attack. Marufa got dragged after going for one boundary earlier. Sutherland drags her big shot to long on for one, then King belts her second six over midwicket! And her third! She’s setting up outside the off stump so she can hit everything to leg, baseballing. Goes again, into the gap, and a shocking bit of fielding gives her four. Two outfielders converge and then stop and look at each other.
Two balls to go. Six! Fahima keeps dishing them up, bowling length outside off, bowling fast spin, and King smacks it away as she did the others.
Last ball… six more! Fahima tries slowing it up, bowls even wider of off, with some loop, but King gets under that ball and gets just enough. Might have been caught on the rope on a bigger field but Fahima can only fingertip it at deep midwicket.
49th over: Australia 184-7 (Sutherland 57, King 18) Big sweep from Sutherland, and Nahida nearly takes out off stump! Just misses. A misfield next ball from Shorna at short fine gives away a second run. King gets on strike, swings big across the line, misses. Another edge hits the keeper! Bottom edge, I think that carries but into the shin pads. Not really a drop. Just three from the over though. Nahida finishes her day’s bowling on 2 for 27.
48th over: Australia 181-7 (Sutherland 54, King 18) Oh, dropped! I think it was. A horribly tough one for the keeper, King swings hard and the top edge is travelling fast and flat as it hits the keeper and bounces off, hurting her finger too. Fahima draws the error but doesn’t get the wicket. Sutherland sweeps hard at one, goes over the off side with another, but it’s so hard to strike cleanly enough to find the boundary. She gets two runs, then one.
Half century! Annabel Sutherland 50 from 69 balls
47th over: Australia 175-7 (Sutherland 50, King 16) Third umpire decision on a run out with a direct hit from Fahima at point. The cameras have a low frame rate, I reckon if we had more frames she might be out. But it’s the old-fashioned scenario where in one frame the bails are on and the bat is short, and in the next they’re off but the bat is home. King is cleared. Sutherland is on strike, and chips a run towards long off to complete a very well fashioned fifty.
Three from Nahida’s over.
46th over: Australia 172-7 (Sutherland 49, King 14) Marufa Akter returns, the opener who was tremendous off the top today. Went for 16 from six overs and removed Healy with a good piece of bowling. Pulled fiercely by Sutherland but the sweeper is there, not the case when King carves her behind point though. One run, then four. Decent comeback, bowls a cutter into the pitch that stays low and gets under King’s baseball swing, then a single to cover.
45th over: Australia 166-7 (Sutherland 48, King 9) Six overs to go. Australia could still reach 200, with a flurry. Or be all out for 170. Fahima bowls, Sutherland calls for a sharp two to point, well run. Then serious bounce! Well! That ball leaps at King, goes almost past the grille of her helmet and is taken by the keeper shoulder heigh. From a leg spinner! Everyone just laughs, even the umpire. Fun times.
44th over: Australia 162-7 (Sutherland 45, King 8) Rabeya shreds one away from King’s bat, and King grins: turns for thee, turns for me. Good over though, two singles, tightens up Sutherland on the off stump and uses the googly too to keep her dry.
43rd over: Australia 160-7 (Sutherland 44, King 7) Shorna to continue, Sutherland driving a run. King loves to play shots, she cuts lustily but there’s a deep point back. No such luck next time King swings, though, a high full toss that she clobbers over midwicket for six. That helps Australia!
42nd over: Australia 151-7 (Sutherland 42, King 0) Cripes, another misfield in the deep, this time Murshida Khatun sliding but missing the ball after Sutherland cuts Rabeya. Bangladesh have given away at least three boundaries plus the dropped catches, and with Australia past 150 now I get the feeling they’ll defend it.
41st over: Australia 146-7 (Sutherland 37, King 0) Alana King pats out two dot balls. So Australia’s leg spinner replaces Australia’s leg spinner, after that leg spinner was dismissed by a leg spinner taking a catch off a leg spinner.
WICKET! Wareham c Rabeya b Shorna 12, Australia 146-7
Sutherland is in some touch lately. Couple of Test hundreds in the last nine months, now she strikes an extra cover drive with just the right placement to find the rope. But Shorna gets reward of her own a couple of balls later, Wareham cutting but top-edging, spinning backwards off the edge, and Rabeya at slip goes to her left and holds on, tumbling behind the keeper, and giving her fellow leg spinner a wicket.
Wareham can hit bombs, but didn’t get to the stage of the innings where she was willing to try today.
40th over: Australia 141-6 (Sutherland 32, Wareham 12) Smashed by Sutherland! Fahima drags one down a long way, speared into the pitch but so short that it sits up. Sutherland pounds the pull for four, nearly carries for six.
39th over: Australia 135-6 (Sutherland 27, Wareham 11) Nearly caught! Sutherland goes back to cut the leg spin of Shorna, top edge, sliced to backward point, Nahida Akter takes it well diving forward, but just on the bounce. She shakes her head immediately to her captain behind the stumps – didn’t carry. The over goes for only one run.
38th over: Australia 134-6 (Sutherland 27, Wareham 10) Fahima Khatun, leg spinner No2 for today, returns. Rabeya was first. Loops a ball into the blockhole, after a couple of drives for one. But drops one short and Sutherland smokes it through cover. It goes just to the right of the fielder but it was hit so hard. Marufa, the opening swing bowler, fields the next one much better at point. One-handed pick-up, scrambling across.
37th over: Australia 126-6 (Sutherland 21, Wareham 8) Shorna Akter, the third leg-break bowler for Bangladesh. Angular sort of player, high arm, and after a few singles she turns a ball past Sutherland’s outside edge. Nearly caught behind, not quite.
36th over: Australia 122-6 (Sutherland 19, Wareham 6) Sultana’s last over is picked off for five singles, the Australians using the lack of pace in the pitch to get right back and nudge runs towards point or midwicket. Sultana finishes with 2 for 42 from her ten.
35th over: Australia 117-6 (Sutherland 17, Wareham 3) Nahida has Sutherland in a tangle, the ball bouncing more than expected and the cut shot rather fended away towards point. That gets Sutherland cautious, playing fuller balls off the front foot defensively, and the over is a maiden!
34th over: Australia 117-6 (Sutherland 17, Wareham 3) Bangladesh in with a chance to really suppress the score, but this Australian team bats so deep that they can be 6 down and still win games comfortably. This pair with Alana King and Kim Garth to follow could well bat through 16 overs and add a decent tally. Still work for Bangladesh to do. Four singles from the Sultana Khatun over. She has one left, and dismissed Litchfield and Perry earlier.
33rd over: Australia 113-6 (Sutherland 15, Wareham 1) That’s 2 for 21 for Fahima at the end of the over.
WICKET! Gardner st Joty b Fahima 32, Australia 112-6
The left-arm spinner does her with turn! Gardner down the pitch, not close enough to the ball though and it spins past her edge. Joty fumbles the first take, clutches the ball against her stomach, then manages to push it into her gloves and punch the bails off before Gardner gets back. Square leg umpire just pops up the finger, clear as day.
32nd over: Australia 111-5 (Gardner 32, Sutherland 14) Sultana Khatun continues, but Gardner is into her work now. Drives four straight, then clobbers another four square on the leg side. 11 from the over, suddenly Australia are looking in good shape.
31st over: Australia 100-5 (Gardner 27, Sutherland 8) Change of bowling with Fahima’s left-arm spin returning for the leg spin of Rabeya. Short though and Gardner cuts her late for four. The bowler spins one past Sutherland’s edge though, and the ball keeps low too.
30th over: Australia 94-5 (Gardner 22, Sutherland 7) Fahima carries on, picked off for four singles.
29th over: Australia 90-5 (Gardner 20, Sutherland 5) Rabeya bowls her eighth, another tidy one that costs three.
28th over: Australia 87-5 (Gardner 18, Sutherland 4) Fahima continues, Gardner hits down the ground, and she’s dropped! A really bad miss, honestly. It’s Sobhana Mostary again, who misfielded earlier. She’s at long off but only about halfway back from the circle, and the lofted shot is hit straight to her. Hits her around the stomach and she drops it while falling over backwards. That was panic fielding, very poor at this level, and a chance to get rid of the most dangerous remaining batter goes to grass.
27th over: Australia 83-5 (Gardner 16, Sutherland 2) Double leg spin continues with Rabeya – who nearly gets Gardner, but the slip has been taken out. Genuine edge while driving, gets Gardner two.
26th over: Australia 78-5 (Gardner 13, Sutherland 1) Almost two in two, as Fahima bowls the conventional leg break to the right-hander, spinning past the edge. Huge appeal but she didn’t hit it. Narrowly.
WICKET! Mooney c Joty b Fahima 25, Australia 78-5
The biggest wicket yet. Mooney is the problem solver for Australia. She was well set and starting to move. But she’s not sure what to do against this ball from Fahima. Hangs on the crease, thinking about whether to go forward or back. It’s the googly, it spins away from the left-hander, who is drawn into a push down the line. Edged to the keeper, Fahima joins the wicket-takers.
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25th over: Australia 78-4 (Mooney 25, Gardner 13) Sultana Khatum, the opening spinner, comes back. Drops short twice, pulled by both players but only for one run each time. But after a couple of dots, Gardner decides to attack, stepping down to loft four over mid off! Quality shot.
24th over: Australia 72-4 (Mooney 24, Gardner 8) Rabeya loses her length for a little while, a long hop to Gardner and then a full toss, but only punished for a two and a one. Mooney reverse laps a couple. Rabeya gets things right the last two balls, making Mooney defend cautiously.
23rd over: Australia 67-4 (Mooney 22, Gardner 5) Fahima Khatun to bowl, the other leggie in the side. Awkward kinda action, limbs everywhere, but the ball comes out of that with some revs on it. Mooney is looking to raise tempo, getting down to sweep fine for two, then coming down to drive two more through point.
22nd over: Australia 62-4 (Mooney 18, Gardner 4) Tsk, tsk. Another tight over from Rabeya is wrecked by a misfield. Mooney goes big over cover, Sobhana Mostary gets around to it but her feet slip a bit on the wet grass, and one run becomes four as the ball scoots through her.
21st over: Australia 57-4 (Mooney 14, Gardner 3) Nearly a run out! Australia unsettled. Mooney sweeps, misses, ball goes off the keeper to backward short fine leg, Mooney stays put. But Gardner runs. Finally Mooney looks around and realises she has to go. The throw comes to the striker’s end, and just misses. Direct hit from Fahima Khatun would have had Gardner. That bye plus a Gardner run is all from Nahida’s over.
20th over: Australia 55-4 (Mooney 14, Gardner 2) A few runs comes, Mooney cutting Rabeya for two among some singles. In the context of this innings, five runs feels lucrative. The flipside though is that Australia know that Bangladesh often struggle batting. So even 150 will give them a good chance to win.
19th over: Australia 50-4 (Mooney 10, Gardner 1) Another false shot as Gardner hits in the air first ball, but mid off is back at long off. One run.
WICKET! McGrath lbw Nahida 9, Australia 48-4
Great ball from Nahida! Classic left-arm spin. Flight and tease outside off stump, beating McGrath’s edge. Then the keeper comes down for a chat, makes a suggestion. Next ball is the arm ball, searing in at the stumps, faster and flatter, and McGrath has already plonked one foot down the line of the stumps. No chance, it beats her inside edge and goes on straight, hits her in front of off stump. Plumb.
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18th over: Australia 48-3 (Mooney 9, McGrath 9) Sharp turn from Rabeya in this over, into the left-handed Mooney. The leg-spinner has looked good so far. A single and a bye as the go-slow continues.
17th over: Australia 46-3 (Mooney 8, McGrath 9) Nahida’s left-arm stuff, a couple of singles and a leg bye is all.
16th over: Australia 43-3 (Mooney 7, McGrath 8) Rabeya drifts down leg to the right-hander, then nearly has McGrath chop on with the googly. One run off the misfield at point, then Mooney gets one with the reverse sweep. Just a paddle.
15th over: Australia 40-3 (Mooney 6, McGrath 7) Nahida has the ball turning in towards the left-handed Mooney, cramping her for room so far. A drive back nearly carries to the bowler. This is tough work. One beats the outside edge but the umpire ignores the keeper’s appeal. Bangladesh keeping Australia to 2.6 runs per over.
14th over: Australia 39-3 (Mooney 6, McGrath 6) Rabeya Khan on for a bowl, leg-spin bowler, and starts brilliantly. No run from her over, using the spot just outside Mooney’s off stump to keep the batter unsure.
13th over: Australia 39-3 (Mooney 6, McGrath 6) At last, a change. Nahida Akter with her left-arm spin. That works for the batting side, a misfield at cover point letting McGrath’s strike through for four. Three singles as well, much better over for Australia.
12th over: Australia 32-3 (Mooney 4, McGrath 1) Still no bowling change, with Sultana Khatun’s off breaks. Some low bounce for her, the batters still struggling to time their shots as McGrath drags a cut to mid off. Nearly lbw too, just spoons a ball away at the last minute.
11th over: Australia 31-3 (Mooney 3, McGrath 1) A sixth over for Marufa, she’ll probably be tiring by now so it might be time for a break. But she nearly gets Mooney nicking behind, then nearly gets one burrowing through the defence, angles it into Mooney from around the wicket, and I think there’s an inside edge into thigh, the ball could easily have gone back onto the stumps. Again, a single driven from the last ball.
10th over: Australia 30-3 (Mooney 2, McGrath 1) More dots, another suffocating over as Sultana Khatun’s spin concedes just one from the sixth ball. Mooney flicks to midwicket. That’s after Sultana nearly skids one through from around the wicket to hit Mooney in front of off stump, but she just gets bat down in time. Going at three per over through the fielding restrictions.
9th over: Australia 29-3 (Mooney 1, McGrath 1) Tahlia McGrath to the middle, and two singles follow the wicket, McGrath off her pads, Mooney risky to mid off, and she just makes her ground but a direct hit might have had her.
WICKET! Healy c Joty b Marufa, Australia 27-3
Huge strike! Reprieved twice but finally Healy goes. Marufa has bowled 22 dot balls so far, a lot of them to Healy over the last three overs, and finally the pressure tells. In at the stumps, in at the stumps, then width but a bit of movement away. Healy booms the drive at that line but nicks it through to the keeper. Cue jubilation, huge fist-pump and leap from the bowler.
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8th over: Australia 27-2 (Healy 24, Mooney 0) At last Mooney gets to face a couple of balls after Healy finds a single from Sultana Khatun. Just the two bowlers used so far by Bangladesh, and the run rate is low.
7th over: Australia 26-2 (Healy 23, Mooney 0) Beth Mooney is so often the firefighter for Australia, and it’s a tricky period with scoring difficult and Healy having been missed twice as well as the two wickets. Marufa bowls four more dots to Healy, but finally errs and gives her room outside off. Healy slices her drive over backward point for four. Then drives one to keep the strike.
WICKET! Perry c Rabeya Khan b Sultana Khatun 2, Australia 21-1
6th over: Australia 21-2 (Healy 18) Dragged down by Sultana, and Healy slams a pull through midwicket. Four. But the over ends well for Bangladesh, as Perry plays an odd shot, looking to flick across the line even though the line is outside the off stump. She reaches for it and twists her wrists back across the line, and the ball ends up taking the back edge, even perhaps the back of the bat, hits the keeper’s thigh, deflects back where slip takes the catch! Rabeya Khan with it.
5th over: Australia 16-1 (Healy 13, Perry 2) Marufa backs up her fielding with another fine over, this time keeping Healy quiet, five dots before an inside edge squeezed away for a run.
4th over: Australia 15-1 (Healy 12, Perry 2) Another chance missed off Healy! Reaches for width from Sultana Khatun, edges it between slip and keeper. Fahima Khatun is a bit slow to react, the ball is travelling but it’s catchable, her weight goes the wrong way at first, expecting it to be edged thicker it looks like. But it goes fine. She throws out her left hand but it’s already gone. Marufa does brilliantly from long leg to spring across to deep third and save a run, flicking the ball back in. That’s serious athleticism.
3rd over: Australia 9-1 (Healy 8, Perry 1) Marufa continues, still swinging them in sharply. Apparently there’s some rain forecast for later too, which is partly why Bangladesh wanted to chase. Marufa is bowling a tight line at the stumps, nothing to hit yet as Perry blocks.
If anyone at the BCB is reading, the mics on your live stream are having a lot of sporadic signal interference.
2nd over: Australia 8-1 (Healy 7, Perry 1) The old firm reunites, Perry joining Healy in the middle. They take a couple of singles, Healy chipping over midwicket with confidence.
WICKET! Litchfield b Sultana Khatun 0, Australia 6-1
Good ball, golden duck! An off-break to the left-hander, it straightens down the line and past the defensive back-foot shot, hitting the off-stump. Early strike for Bangladesh.
Updated
1st over: Australia 6-0 (Healy 6, Litchfield 0) Marufa Akter with the ball, who bowls inswingers mostly at medium pace. The only seamer in this Bangladesh side. She gets put away by Healy on the pull shot when dropping short, with four runs following a two, but then Healy is dropped! Chips a mistimed drive back at the bowler, above her head, and Marufa leaps up and gets both hands to it but parries it behind herself.
Teams
Australia
Alyssa Healy + *
Phoebe Litchfield
Ellyse Perry
Beth Mooney
Tahlia McGrath
Ashleigh Gardner
Annabel Sutherland
Georgia Wareham
Alana King
Kim Garth
Megan Schutt
Bangladesh
Nigar Sultana (Joty) + *
Nahida Akter
Fargana Hoque
Sobhana Mostary
Murshida Khatun
Ritu Moni
Shorna Akter
Rabeya Khan
Fahima Khatun
Marufa Akter
Sultana Khatun
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Bangladesh win the toss and bowl
Backing their spinners to keep the score down and chase something small. Not sure that’s the right move, Bangladesh historically haven’t chased well, whereas they can spook teams with spin when defending small targets. But they’re setting themselves the task today. It shows confidence, anyway!
The reason they’re playing ODIs as well as T20s is because it’s part of the ICC Championship, which is how qualification for the next 50-over World Cup is done in the women’s game. The top six teams for the 2022-2025 period qualify automatically, and the bottom four of the 10 teams in that league go into a qualifying even with other teams from outside the league.
Australia sit top of the table, unsurprisingly, after 15 of their 24 games, so they’re pretty much set to qualify. Bangladesh through are seventh, just outside the automatic spots, with a chance to snare one of those spots after a pretty good tournament so far.
Bangladesh so far have taken a win off India, a win off South Africa, and beat Pakistan 2-1 in their series. One of the Pakistan wins was tied and then won in a Super Over, while the India series included a tie that didn’t then go to a Super Over. So figure that out.
But four wins and a tie, plus they get two washouts against Sri Lanka and two against New Zealand, so four bonus points there. They’re well placed to challenge, and would love to spring a surprise on Australia to give that chance a boost.
Preamble
Good morrow, travellers. We gather here for the Australian women’s team undertaking their mission to Bangladesh, a bit of an intelligence-gathering exercise ahead of the T20 World Cup that will take place here later this year. They’ll have three ODI matches and three T20s in this series, with the 50-over stuff starting today. We’re in Dhaka. Well, I’m not in Dhaka, and there’s a good chance you’re not either, although plenty of people are in Dhaka, it’s the kind of place with a lot of people in it.
22 of those people will be playing cricket. We will hopefully be watching.
There is no television coverage into Australia of this series, which is pretty poor from the networks that like to bill themselves as the home / cradle / birthplace of cricket, so we will be endeavouring to bring this to you via the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s YouTube stream. This is a known unknown, so bear with us if there are any glitches through the day. We’ll do our best, and get through this together.
