Connolly's century helps Australia avoid whitewash, beat Bangladesh by 1 wicket
Dhaka, June 14
Australia avoided a series whitewash by winning the final ODI by 1 wicket on Sunday, denying Bangladesh a clean sweep after the hosts had claimed the first two rain-affected matches.
Bangladesh posted a competitive 274, courtesy of valuable contributions from Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, and Mosaddek Hossain.
In reply, Australia got off to a brisk start through their openers, but the chase lost momentum after the opening stand was broken. Josh Inglis and Matthew Renshaw departed in quick succession, while Alex Carey was unable to make a meaningful impact.
Australia's recovery was engineered by a crucial partnership between Cooper Connolly and Marnus Labuschagne, which steadied the innings and restored control of the chase. Cameron Green then provided valuable support as the visitors edged closer to the target.
Although wickets continued to tumble at the other end, Connolly remained composed, regularly finding the boundary and keeping Australia on track.
The all-rounder eventually fell in the 49th over after a superb century, but Adam Zampa sealed the victory with a crisp cover drive.
Despite an outstanding spell from Bangladesh's Shoriful Islam, whose relentless effort kept Bangladesh in the contest, it was Connolly's match-winning hundred that ultimately proved the difference, guiding Australia to a consolation victory and overshadowing the pacer's impressive display.
Brief score: Bangladesh 274/5 (Towhid Hridoy 83, Litton Das 58; Matt Renshaw 2/44). Vs Australia 277/9 (Cooper Connolly 149, Marnus Labuschagne 29; Shoriful Islam 6/48).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Bangladesh fans must be gutted - they had Australia on the ropes for most of the match. Shoriful Islam's 6-wicket haul was outstanding, but the team failed to defend 274 in ODIs. Australia's younger players like Connolly are showing they have real depth. India should take notes for building our bench strength! 🇮🇳
Great fight from Australia to avoid the whitewash. Connolly's century was a classic - patient, calculated, and then aggressive when needed. But Bangladesh's bowling, especially Shoriful, deserves huge credit. They just need to learn how to close out games. As an Aussie fan, I'm relieved but also impressed by Bangladesh's progress.
This is why ODIs are still special - you can have 274/5 batting first and still lose by 1 wicket! Bangladesh's middle order needs to step up in big moments. Towhid Hridoy's 83 was good but they left 15-20 runs on the table. Australia's depth is scary - Connolly comes in as a relatively unknown player and plays like a veteran. Well played. 👏
As much as I admire Connolly's innings, I think Bangladesh's fielding let them down in the death overs. They dropped a catch or two which cost them dearly. Still, Australia showed great character to come back from 2-0 down and avoid embarrassment. Zampa's cover drive for the winning runs - fitting for a cricketing shot! 🔥
Bangladesh should be proud of their series win despite this loss. Winning the first two matches was no fluke against
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