Daijiworld Media Network – Dhaka
Dhaka, Jun 11: Bangladesh clinched their first-ever One-Day International series victory over Australia with a five-wicket win in the rain-affected second ODI on Thursday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing a revised target of 192 runs in 41 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, Bangladesh reached 195-5 with 36 balls to spare at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
Towhid Hridoy anchored the chase with an unbeaten 40, while skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz remained not out on 22 as the pair shared an unbroken 51-run stand to guide the hosts home.
Bangladesh recovered after losing an early wicket, with Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar adding 86 runs for the second wicket. Both batsmen scored 42 before departing in quick succession.
Earlier, Australia posted 187-8 in 42 overs after rain brought an early end to their innings.
The visitors suffered a disastrous start, losing three wickets without a run on the board, becoming only the fourth team in ODI history to lose three wickets before opening their account.
Opening bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman starred with the ball, claiming three wickets each.
Taskin dismissed opener Matthew Short, while Mustafizur removed both Cooper Connolly and Matt Renshaw for ducks.
Australia slipped further to 81-6 before Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett staged a recovery with a 103-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 55, while Bartlett scored 52 before Taskin broke the stand. He then dismissed Adam Zampa on the next delivery.
Bangladesh vice-captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hailed the team's performance after securing a fifth consecutive home ODI series victory following wins over Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand.
"It's an amazing feeling, and the way we played this series, we showed a lot of courage. We have been working really hard over the last few months, and the way we played the last two matches was outstanding," Shanto said.
Australia captain Josh Inglis admitted his side's poor start proved costly.
"Anytime you lose three wickets that early, it's always tough to recover. The partnership between Marnus and Xavier was outstanding, but the total was probably below par," Inglis said.
The third and final ODI will be played later this week, with Bangladesh aiming for a clean sweep against the reigning world champions.