BAN vs AUS, 2nd ODI: Bangladesh cricket team will be raring to take the field against Australia again after consigning the reigning world champions to a comprehensive 86-run defeat in the first ODI in Mirpur. With Bangladesh chasing their maiden bilateral ODI series victory over the Men in Yellow, the hosts will yet again be keen to put their best foot forward. However, weather could delay or spoil the Bangla tigers’ quest for a series win.
BAN vs AUS, 2nd ODI: Will rain play spoilsport in Mirpur?
With the match beginning on 11:00 am as per local time, the forecast is not only for cloudy weather but also of showers. According to Accuweather, the cloud cover in the morning is up to 85%, while the probability of precipitation is 62%. The forecast for afternoon is also nearly the same, with the temperature set to above 30 degrees. The forecast for evening doesn’t look very promising either as there are 25% chances of rain. Hence, fans are likely to witness a shortened fixture.
BAN vs AUS: What was the gap between Bangladesh’s first and second ODI win over Australia?
Bangladesh’s victory on Tuesday in Mirpur was only their second victory over the Aussies in the 50-over format. Their first one was in 2005 at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff when the Men in Yellow had the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and were captained by the dynamic and charismatic Ricky Ponting. Although Australia had set Bangladesh a stiff 250 to win, a young Mohammad Ashraful stood up with a hundred to guide Bangladesh over the finish line with a ball to spare.
On Tuesday, the home side witnessed half-centuries from Tanzid Hasan (54), Najmul Hossain Shanto (67) and Mosaddek Hossain (86), while Towhid Hridoy also chipped in with 31 to lift their side to an imposing 284/8 in 50 overs. With the ball, Taskin Ahmed shook Australia in the first ball of the innings as he breached Matt Short’s defences. While the tourists found some resilience from Josh Inglis, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey and Cameron Green, Bangladesh’s airtight fielding coupled with Nahid Rana bowling rockets hardly gave Australia anything to work with. After starring with the bat, Hossain also worked his magic with the ball with figures of 10-1-37-2, leaving Australia 86 runs short of the target.
The hosts will not be willing to take the foot off the pedal in the second ODI.
