T20 World Cup, Australia v Bangladesh as it happened: Huge win for Finch and Co

Player of the match: Adam Zampa

AUSTRALIA WIN BIG! 78/2 in 6.2 overs: A helpful six at the end from Marsh, and that is a huge swing in the NRR for Finch and Co. A disappointing end to a disappointing campaign for Bangladesh.

OUT! Australia 67/2 (5.6 overs): Finch out in the 5th over, Warner out in the 6th over but the Aussie openers have achieved the needful with their blistering start. 67/2 at the end of the powerplay. Victory imminent.

OUT! Australia 58/1 (4.6 overs): Taskin has something to cheer. Two sixes for Finch in that over but the Aussie captain goes for one big shot too many and sacrifices his wicket for the team’s cause. 40 off 20 balls, with 2x4 4x6... a huge innings potentially for his side.

Australia 44/0 after 4 overs: Of course Australia are going for it! HUUGGGE over as Finch and Warner go hard after Mustafizur, 21 runs come off it!

Australia 23/0 after 3 overs: Was shaping into a good over from Taskin but Finch’s lofted flick over midwicket goes over the fielder’s head, and he was well inside the boundary line. Taskin not happy at all. Four.

Australia 16/0 after 2 overs: Oh dear, Finch smacks one back at The Fizz and he gets his hand to it. Lucky to avoid damage at least for now, the Aussie captain puts his hand up immediately. Dangerous. A four and six for him in that over too as he goes hard!

Australia 4/0 after 1 over: Finch has certainly come swinging! Doesn’t connect in the first over from Shoriful but the intentions are clear

Target for Australia: 74

If Australia chase this down in 8 overs or fewer deliveries, their Net Run Rate will go past South Africa’s. Could be huge for them. (And even better if they go from 73 to 79, for instance, with a six).

OUT! Bangladesh 73 all out (14.6 overs): Shoriful goes for a big heave and gets an edge, Finch takes the catch at first slip. 4 overs-14 dots-19 runs-5 wickets for Zampa. Sensational.

OUT! Bangladesh 73/9 (14.4 overs) ...but Zampa won’t be denied his 4th wicket. Gets Mustafizur caught at long on soon after. Smith makes no mistake.

13.1: And Matthew Wade puts down a catch on the hat-trick ball. Poor Adam Zampa, wry smiles all around. Taskin survives.

Zampa on a hat-trick and Finch gives the ball to Starc instead with three wickets remaining. Innings could have been over in that over. The Fizz somehow keeps the yorkers out. But still no Zampa as Cummins gets the ball from the other end.

OUT! Bangladesh 65/8 after 12.2 overs: ..and Mahmudullah doesn’t have to watch much more of it. Glances one down the leg side to Wade and walks. Starc has another.

Bangladesh 64/7 after 12 overs: Maxwell gets another over surprisingly, if one thought Australia would just go for the kill here. Starc from the other end though, and he will have to wait for his hat-trick chance.

Bangladesh 62/7 after 11 overs: Zampa has two in two! After a brief recovery, Bangladesh lose Shamim and Mahedi off successive deliveries. Mahmudullah watches on from the other end....

Bangladesh 58/5 after 10 overs: 4 runs in Cummins over and it is time for a drinks break. Mini recovery for Bangladesh courtesy Mahumudullah and Shamim.

Bangladesh 54/5 after 9 overs: Shamim continues to go for his shots, two fielders in the deep on the leg side around the region of midwicket, just about clears the fence.

Bangladesh 47/5 after 8 overs: Starc comes on for his third over, and Shamim plays a lovely shot over mid on for four.

Afif has now made back-to-back ducks. Bangladesh 38/5 after 7 overs.

OUT! Bangladesh 33/5 (6.1 overs): Zampa strikes in his first delivery of the day. Finch takes a simple catch at first slip. This is tough to watch if you are a Bangladesh cricket faithful.

OUT! Bangladesh 32/4 (5.3 overs): Oh Naim... goes for a big shot against Hazlewood, perhaps wanting to score a few more in the powerplay. But finds the fielder at square with ease.

Bangladesh 28/3 after 5 overs: Some momentum for Bangaldesh, Mahumudullah finishes the Starc over with back-to-back fours.

Bangladesh 19/3 after 4 overs: Almost a wicket in Cummins’ first over too, as he Naim flays one over point. Evades a diving fielder. That goes for four as does another well played cut.

OUT! Bangladesh 10/3 in 2.5 overs: Oh dear, this is an early procession from Bangladesh. Maxwell comes on to bowl the third over and he strikes to remove Mushfiqur Rahim. LBW, given out, not reviewed. (Don’t quite know if that was out or not because fifth ball dismissals in an over mean we don’t get replays anytime soon)

OUT! Bangladesh 6/2 after 2 overs: A boundary for Soumya off Hazlewood, but he almost immediately follows up with that mishit shot early in the innings that invariably ends his stay in the middle. One ball later, he is bowled with the most softest backfoot defensive shot. Another batter played on. Must be so frustrating for Bangladesh to see this often from the talented Soumya Sarkar.

OUT! Bangladesh 1/1 (0.3 overs): Mitch Starc wastes no time! A wicket in the first over for the left arm space and it is another one of his specials. Full, fast, Liton Das has no answer. Out for a golden duck.

Naim Sheikh and Liton Das will open the batting for Bangladesh. The Tigers are playing for pride, they have had recent success against (a different looking) Australia. Can they dent their chances here? Starc to get things going.

Time for the national anthems, Bangladesh followed by Australia.

Playing XIs

Australia XI: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Bangladesh XI: Liton Das (wk), Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

via cricketcomau

TOSS: Australia win the toss and, no surprise, Aaron Finch opts to bowl first in Dubai. Mitch Marsh returns for Australia in place of Agar. The Fizz returns physically for Bangladesh, they will hope that is true for them figuratively as well.

What do Australia need to qualify for semifinals?

VIA ICC: If they win both those games and South Africa lose their last match against England they will go through. If they win both their games and South Africa are also victorious, it will come down to NRR and Australia have a lot of ground to make up.

What your team needs to do to reach semis after key Group 2 matches

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the ICC Men’ s T20 World Cup 2021, where it is the Super 12 Group 1 match between Australia and Bangladesh first up. The venue is Dubai for this super crucial match for Australia.

Australia will look to even up their points and catch up on Net Run Rate when they face eliminated Bangladesh side who have lost all four matches.

Despite their precarious position, the Australians, who still have the West Indies to face, insist they are not looking to England to help them out when Eoin Morgan’s men take on South Africa in their last group game on Saturday.

“No, we’re purely thinking about the two games we have to win. Sometimes that’s really good because you know you have to win those games,” said left-arm spinner Ashton Agar on Wednesday.

“We go into every game thinking that you have to win. It’s something that helps you move on from the England game.

“I think that’s really important, to move forward, to put that one behind us because England played incredibly well, and obviously they beat us pretty convincingly.”

Australia, who have never won the T20 World Cup, have so far defeated South Africa by five wickets and Sri Lanka by seven wickets

(With AFP, ICC and Statsguru inputs)