World Cup 2019: Australia ride on David Warner century to seal comprehensive victory over Bangladesh
Australia defeated Bangladesh by 48 runs in a high-scoring thriller at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday.
Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and decided to bat first. David Warner and Finch started off cautiously before launching an attack on the Bangladeshi bowlers. At the end of 10 overs, the scoreboard read 53 for 0.
After the power play, both openers continued to play with positive intent. Warner reached his fifty off 55 balls while Finch completed the milestone off 47 balls. Soumya Sarkar got the first breakthrough, dismissing Finch for 53 after the openers had added 121 runs.
Usman Khawaja then arrived at the crease and took his time to settle in, while Warner continued to strike the ball well, reaching his century off 110 balls.
Khawaja reached his half-century off 50 balls, while Warner continued on his merry way with some brilliant batting. However, he was eventually dismissed by Sarkar for a brilliant 166. Warner and Khawaja added 192 runs for the 2nd wicket, effectively taking the game away from Bangladesh.
Glenn Maxwell then showed his class with a quick-fire cameo, racing to 32 off 10 balls before being run-out. Sarkar then dismissed Khawaja for a brilliant 89. After a brief rain delay, Australia finished their innings with 381 runs on the board.
Chasing down the massive target, Tamim Iqbal and Sarkar began steadily before the latter was run out. However, the experienced duo of Tamim and Shakib-al-Hasan played with positive intent, guiding Bangladesh to 53 for 1 at the end of 10 overs.
Marcus Stoinis got the all-important breakthrough for Australia, dismissing Shakib for 41. Mushfiqur Rahim then arrived at the crease and looked aggressive from the get-go. At the other end, Tamim reached his fifty off 65 balls. However, he was soon dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 62 which put Bangladesh under pressure.
Liton Das played some lovely strokes before being dismissed by Adam Zampa for 20 as Bangladesh began to crumble.
Mahmudullah though decided to take matters into his own hands, taking the attack to the Aussie bowlers. Both Rahim and Mahmudullah played with positive intent as they looked to try and overhaul Australia’s massive total.
However, Nathan Coulter-Nile struck for the Aussies, dismissing Mahmudullah for 69 and effectively sealing the game for his side. Rahim played well to reach his century off 95 balls but it was not enough to get his side over the line.
Bangladesh ended their innings with 333 runs on the board, falling short by 48 runs in the end.
Also read – Highest partnerships by wicket in world cup
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