Australia slumped to their worst ever start to an ODI before a Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett rescue mission set Bangladesh 192 runs for a series-clinching victory in the second ODI.
Australia lost their first three wickets without registering a run for the first time in men’s 50-over internationals as Matt Short, Cooper Connolly and Matt Renshaw were dismissed in the first two overs.
The tourists were then 6-81 when the Queensland pair came together, putting together a 103-run partnership to lift their side to 8-187 when heavy rain stopped play after 42 overs.
Australia didn’t bat again after a delay of nearly three hours as the match resumed at 9.15pm AEST (5.15pm local) with Bangladesh chasing a revised target of 192 in 41 overs.
Having recorded just their second ever one-day win over Australia on Tuesday, the Tigers are in the box seat to add a third just two days later as they seek an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Dhaka.
Stand-in Aussie skipper Josh Inglis won the toss and choose to bat at Shere Bangla National Stadium on Thursday, but the hosts’ quicks continued their hold over their inexperienced opponents.
Matt Short was the first to fall, bowled shouldering arms to Taskin Ahmed (3-33) fourth ball of the match for his third straight duck after also failing to score in the first ODI and the series decider in Pakistan last week.
With Alex Carey having been dismissed first ball in the preceding second ODI against Pakistan, it was the fourth time in a row Australia’s opening pair was unable to get the side off the mark before the partnership was broken.
But this time it got worse for Australia when Cooper Connolly departed for a golden duck off first ball of the second over as he feathered an edge behind off left-armer Mustafizur Rahman (3-27).
Matt Renshaw, promoted to No.4 with Marnus Labuschagne dropping down the order, then went the same way as Connolly five balls later as keeper Litton Das collected his second catch, leaving Australia 3-0 at the end of the second over.
Never before had the six-time World Cup champions been in such early trouble in men’s 50-over cricket and they became just the fourth team and first in 23 years to lose their first three wickets without scoring in an ODI.
The closest they had previously come to the unwanted feat in men’s ODIs, as detailed by renowned statistician Lawrie Colliver, was 2-0 that became 3-6 against Pakistan in Lahore in 2022, while their previous worst three-down total was 3-5 against South Africa in Cape Town 2006, which came earlier in the same series that their then record 4-434 was chased down by the Proteas.
Ironically, Australia’s first run on Thursday came courtesy of a no-ball rather than off the bat when Taskin overstepped in his second over.
Inglis eventually got the innings rolling with a brace of boundaries in the right-armer’s following over as he and Alex Carey (13) took the score to 25 before the fourth wicket went down when the latter picked out the point fielder off Mustafizur.
Inglis hit two further fours and a remarkable back foot punch for six in a free-flowing 34 from 38 balls but threw his promising start away when he sliced a lofted drive to deep cover after advancing down to left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam (2-45).
Cameron Green (25 off 50) cautiously tried to build Australia a platform, but they still weren’t out of the woods when he spooned a catch back to the bowler to hand Tanvir his second wicket and leave the visitors 6-81.
It left the out-of-sorts Labuschagne as the last recognised batter, but he found an ally in paceman Bartlett (52 off 48), who proved the aggressor in their fighting stand with a pair of towering sixes over midwicket from the pace of Taskin and then the spin of Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
His vital partnership with Labuschagne ended with the score on 184 as he attempted to launch a third six, with Taskin castling his stumps with a rare reverse swinging delivery that also proved too good for Adam Zampa when Bangladeshi quick replicated it the very next ball.
Though wicketless through his nine overs, express quick Nahid Rana (0-45) still made his presence felt with a couple of body blows on Labuschagne, who fought his way to his first ODI half-century since September 2024.
Having reached double figures for only the second time in his seven ODI innings, Labuschagne’s move to No.7 this match shielded him from the new-ball carnage, and he capitalised with a gritty 55 not out featuring three boundaries.
Weather intervened to end Australia’s innings prematurely for the second consecutive match following lightning strikes in the first ODI, with the visitors hopeful their three-pronged pace attack featuring recalled speedster Riley Meredith can inflict the same damage that Bangladesh’s did earlier today as the seek to stay alive in the series.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Kumer Das (wk), Tawhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana
Australia XI: Matt Short, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis (c/wk), Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Riley Meredith
Qantas Tour of Bangladesh 2026
Australia squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Josh Inglis (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Todd Murphy, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Adam Zampa
June 9: First ODI: Bangladesh won by 86 runs (DLS Method)
June 11: Second ODI, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, 3pm AEST
June 14: Third ODI, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, 3pm AEST
Australia squad for Bangladesh T20Is: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa
June 17: First T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST
June 19: Second T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST
June 21: Third T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST
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