The Australian women’s cricket team blanked Bangladesh 3-0 in the three-match T20I series after beating the hosts by 77 runs in the final match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Thursday.
Captain Alyssa Healy and vice-captain Tahlia McGrath led with the bat. Healy scored 45 off 29 deliveries while McGrath remained unbeaten on 43 off 29 balls to help Australia post 155/6 on the scoreboard after the first innings.
The total proved to be enough as the Bangladeshi batting line-up kept losing wickets at regular intervals and was bundled out for 78. Tayla Vlaeminck was especially impressive with the ball, picking up 3/12 in her spell of four overs. She also won the Player of the Match award.
Having won the toss, the Australian women’s cricket team decided to bat first. Healy took the attack to the Bangladeshi bowlers during the powerplay while Beth Mooney was more than happy to play a supporting role.
Mooney had to depart after scoring 10(13) when she got stumped off a delivery by Shorifa Khatun in the final over of the powerplay.
Healy remained unfazed and continued to punish the bowlers with regular boundaries and sixes. She would go on to hit six boundaries and two sixes in her innings of 45 (29) and Bangladesh got their big breakthrough thanks to Nahida Akter in the seventh over.
Bangladesh continued to make inroads with the dismissals of Ellyse Perry and Georgia Wareham. Although there was a brief resistance from Ashleigh Gardner who scored 16 (21), it didn’t last long.
Tahlia McGrath then wrestled back control of the match in the visitors’ favour and put on an excellent 57-run partnership with Grace Harris. McGrath would go on to score 43* with the help of two boundaries and two sixes, leading Australia to a strong score of 155/6.
Bangladesh’s run-chase began on a disastrous note as they lost three wickets inside the powerplay. Half of their batting unit had returned to the dugout by the 10th over and the hosts lost another couple of wickets in the 11th over.
Tayla Vlaeminck was on fire with the ball and she picked up three wickets for just 12. Sophie Molineux was also economical, giving away just 15 runs while Georgia Wareham picked up two wickets from the seven balls she bowled.
Every bowler for Australia managed to pick up a wicket in this game as the Bangladeshi batting unit crumbled like a deck of cards towards the closing stages.
Nigar Sultana, who scored 32 (31), was one of four batters who managed to get into double digits for the hosts. She was the last to lose her wicket as Wareham bowled her to clean up the Bangladesh innings for 78.
BAN-W vs AUS-W 3rd T20I brief scores: Australia-W 155/6 in 20 overs (Alyssa Healy 45, Tahlia McGrath 43*; Nahida Akter 3/31) beat Bangladesh-W 78/10 in 18.1 overs (Nigar Sultana 32; Tayla Vlaeminck 3/12, Georgia Wareham 2/1) by 77 runs.
Source: Olympics
BDST: 1611 HRS, APR 04, 2024
MN/SMS
