Bangladesh tearaway Nahid Rana has ripped through Australia’s middle order as the hosts drew first blood with a comfortable 86-run win in the ODI series opener in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Rana (4-41) provided a salivating preview as to what could await cricket fans during August’s Top End Test series, hitting speeds above 150kph as he dismantled Australia with four wickets in the first ODI.
Despite Cameron Green’s defiant half-century, the tourists were one wicket away from a heavy defeat when lightning strikes abruptly halted play with 7.4 overs remaining in the match at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
At that point Australia required an unlikely 94 from 46 balls, and with play unable to resume, Bangladesh took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method when the match was called off about an hour later.
Australia appeared well placed to overhaul Bangladesh’s 8-284 with opener Cooper Connolly (35) and Alex Carey (47) adding a fourth wicket stand of 40 before Rana returned to take three wickets in as many overs in his second spell of the innings.
Australia’s chase began disastrously when Matt Short lost his off stump first ball of the innings, with No.3 Marnus Labuschagne’s (1) woes continuing, also dismissed cheaply when he was trapped in front by left-armer Mustafizur Rahman.
Stand-in skipper Josh Inglis (19) looked to resurrect the innings before he became Rana’s first victim, getting stuck on the crease pushing at a 147.9kph thunderbolt that he feathered through to wicketkeeper Litton Das.
Carey’s promising knock ended the same way when Rana returned for a second burst just after the halfway mark, while debutant Liam Scott (2) was surprised by a rearing short ball that he fended to backward point and was well caught by Tawhid Hridoy diving forward.
Wickets continued to fall around Green who hit four boundaries and a towering 96m six over midwicket in his unbeaten 52.
Mosaddek Hossain completed a fine double with two wickets to go with his match-high 86 not out in the first innings, a sensational return to international cricket after a four-year absence.
Having earlier bowled Connolly with a ball that skidded on, the off-spinner trapped in-form batter Matt Renshaw for two as Rana put the final nail in the coffin when he had returning paceman Xavier Bartlett skying a short ball for his fourth wicket.
“A disappointing total on our part and obviously we dropped four or five catches,” Inglis said at the post-match presentation.
“If it was somewhere around 230 to 240, I thought it was very chaseable.
“Losing two wickets really early doesn’t help and then we had guys get in throughout the innings, but no one really went on and put on a big score, and we didn’t have a really big partnership to sort of get us close.”
Nathan Ellis (3-38) gave Australia an ideal start in removing Tigers opener Saif Hassan in the second over after they had been sent in by Inglis, deputising for Mitch Marsh who was confirmed as missing a second straight series after picking up an ankle injury in the IPL.
But Tanzid Hasan (54) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (67) stabilised with a 96-run second wicket partnership to give the home side the momentum. Labuschagne missed a chance to remove the latter on nine when he spilled a chance at slip having earlier taken a sharp catch in the same position to give Australia their first breakthrough.
Mosaddek was also dropped on 22 and 75 as he lifted Bangladesh from a precarious 6-219 by doing the bulk of the scoring in the final seven overs of the innings as his side added a crucial 65 runs to their total.
Part-timer Renshaw (2-35) claimed to wickets with his off-spin to stall the Tigers through the middle overs, and enticed Mosaddek into a lofted drive in the 32nd over only to see the catch slip through Connolly’s fingers at long on.
Pace-bowling allrounder Scott (2-57) also took two wickets, but his eight overs proved expensive in his first taste at international level as Mosaddek hit his final two overs for 24 runs.
The second ODI will also be played in Dhaka on Thursday.
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, 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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