Shakib Al Hasan's 4-wicket haul helps Bangladesh record 4-1 T20I series triumph against Australia

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan recorded a four-wicket haul in the fifth and final T20I of the series against Australia, to help his team pull off a triumph by 60 runs. Shakib registered figures of 4/9 with fast-bowler Mohammad Saifuddin’s 3/12 further vital in paving the way for a 4-1 series triumph. The Bangladesh bowlers were barely handed a total of 123 runs to defend against Australia, who could be dangerous on their day. However, the bowling unit fired in unison, wiping out the visitors for just 62 in the 14th over, with the performances of Shakib and Saifuddin supremely vital in this quest.

Fine start by Bangladesh openers

Bangladesh openers Mahedi Hasan and Mohammad Naim were able to provide impetus to the Bangladesh innings with a run-rate of over 10 for the first four overs. The duo stitched an opening stand of 42 runs but the middle-order couldn’t capitalise on the quick start. The former’s dismissal to Aston Turner for 13, resulted in the hosts’ run rate nosediving. Daniel Christian further chipped in at this stage, claiming his first wicket in T20Is since 2014, with the dismissal of Naim who went back for a run-a-ball 23.

Shakib’s dismissal to Adam Zampa who trapped him leg-before for 11, and below-par performances by Soumya Sarkar (16), Mahmud Ullah (19), and Nurul Hasan (8) resulted in even more trouble. Nathan Ellis made his presence felt in the final over, exploiting the conditions with the strategy of change of pace that worked wonders. Ellis accounted for the dismissal of Afif Hossain (10) who attempted the ramp but the slower delivery meant the ball could only travel till short fine leg, where Mitchell Marsh took a comfortable catch.

Poor beginning to Australian chase

The Australian chase kicked off on a poor note with two important players: Dan Christian and Marsh dismissed early. They limped to 31/2 at the end of their powerplay, going on to be bowled out for 62 runs in no time. The batters below No.5 to 11 couldn’t cross the single-digit mark.

Shakib and Saifuddin were two major game-changers, with the former becoming the first men’s player to score 1000 runs and pick 100 wickets in the shortest format.

“I am still enjoying my game. Thanks to my team mates, this achievement wouldn’t have been possible. The wicket was tough but we held our nerves. All in all, a very good series for us. To be honest, if you look at the last game, we scored 104 or 105 and got momentum towards the defense of the chase. It wasn’t easy for the batters in this series but the bowlers did well,” said the Bangladesh cricketer.

“We are trying to improve all our areas. Our fast bowlers have been improving really well. They have been bowling brilliantly. It has been a good combination of spin and fast bowling. Sometimes I do keep track of the records,” added Shakib.

Australian skipper Matthew Wade termed the conditions in Dhaka as the toughest to play international cricket in. Wade stated that the team had to face a lot of challenges. He termed batting in spinning conditions as the biggest take away, before congratulating the Bangladesh team.