Khairul alam from Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium – It was a script no fiction writer could conceive. Five overs remaining, 5 wickets in hand, and just 9 runs needed. An unplayable Cooper Connolly was anchoring the ship, unbeaten on a magnificent 149. It seemed like a walk in the park for Australia.
Yet, what followed was a absolute cricketing apocalypse. Australia lost 4 wickets, consumed 27 balls of pure agony, and crawled across the finish line by the absolute barest of margins—just 1 wicket to spare.
In a breathtaking finale at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Australia narrowly avoided the ultimate humiliation of a series whitewash, defeating Bangladesh by 1 wicket. However, the Tigers still walk away with their heads held high, clinching the ODI series 2-1.
The Shoriful Storm and the Final-Over Chaos
Chasing 275, Australia looked comfortably on course for victory on the back of a maiden century by opener Cooper Connolly. But the Tigers refused to go down without a fight. In a roaring late comeback, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman turned the match on its head, triggering a catastrophic collapse where Australia lost 4 wickets for just 5 runs.
Shoriful, returning to the XI in place of Nahid Rana, was the architect of the chaos, picking up a sensational 6-wicket haul—his maiden ODI fifer. He started the fire in the 46th over with a double-strike, sending the dangerous Oliver Davies (27) packing and removing Xavier Bartlett the very next ball.
The drama intensified in the 49th over. Mustafizur Rahman delivered a masterclass, cleaning up the monumental Connolly for 149. Australia plummeted from 266 to 271, gasping for breath.
With 3 runs needed off the final over, Taskin Ahmed kept nerves high. After giving away just 1 run off the first two balls, Adam Zampa found the boundary on the third delivery, sparking wild celebrations in the Australian camp and breaking Bangladeshi hearts.
The Foundations: Bangladesh Posts 274
Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat, Bangladesh recovered from early jolts to post a competitive 274/5.
The hosts had a disastrous start, losing Soumya Sarkar (2) in the very first over to Xavier Bartlett. Tanzid Hasan Tamim (19) fell in the final over of the powerplay, failing to time a Matt Renshaw delivery. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto’s struggles continued as he was bowled by Renshaw for 24 while attempting a sweep.
At 54/3, Bangladesh was in deep trouble.
The Litton-Hridoy Resurgence
The rescue mission was launched by Litton Kumer Das and Towhid Hridoy, who put together a masterful 92-run partnership. However, tragedy struck when Litton was forced to leave the field retired hurt on 48 due to severe calf cramps.
Hridoy carried the torch forward, accelerated beautifully, and smashed a brilliant 83 off 88 balls before falling in the 46th over. Mosaddek Hossain provided the late fireworks, blasting a 43-ball half-century.
In a heroic moment, a limping Litton Das returned to the crease in the 49th over to secure his first-ever ODI fifty at Mirpur, ending unbeaten on 50 alongside Mosaddek.
Connolly’s Heroics vs. Tiger Resilience
Australia’s chase began with absolute aggression. Shoriful broke the opening stand by dismissing Josh Inglis (21) and Matt Renshaw (0) in quick succession during the 5th over.
A spectacular, gravity-defying diving catch by Soumya Sarkar at cover ended Alex Carey’s (8) stay, and a brilliant one-handed diving catch by keeper Nurul Hasan Sohan off Shoriful dismissed Marnus Labuschagne (24).
Yet, Cooper Connolly stood like a rock. Having scored just one fifty in his previous 11 ODIs, the young left-hander chose the Home of Cricket to blast his maiden international century. Alongside Cameron Green, he dismantled the Bangladeshi spin attack, cruising past the 200-run mark by the 35th over.
Sheikh Mahedi broke the partnership by catching Green (27) off his own bowling, but Connolly launched a brutal counter-attack, smashing Taskin Ahmed for three massive sixes in the 45th over to bring Australia to the brink of victory—before the Mirpur magic turned the game into a timeless classic.
Brief Scores:
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Bangladesh: 274/5 in 50 overs (Towhid Hridoy 83, Litton Das 50*, Mosaddek 50*; Matt Renshaw 2/25, Xavier Bartlett 2/28)
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Australia: 275/9 in 49.3 overs (Cooper Connolly 149, Oliver Davies 27; Shoriful Islam 6/41)
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Result: Australia won by 1 wicket.
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Series: Bangladesh won the 3-match series 2-1.