Bangabandhu T20 Series 
Bangladesh VS Australia 
4th Match Played at SBNCS, Mirpur Dhaka on 7 August 2021 
Brief Scorecard:
Australia 105/7 in 19 Overs (Dan Christian 39, Ashton Ager 27, Mustafizur Rahman 2/9, Mehedi Hasan 2/17) 
Bangladesh 104/9 In 20 Overs (Mohammad Naim 28, Mehedi Hasan 23, Afif Hossain 20, Mitchel Swepson 3/12, Andrew Tye 3/18, Josh Hazelwood 2/24) 
Australia Won by 3 Wickets 
Bangladesh Leads the Series 3-1 with one match to play. 
Player of the Match: Mitchel Swepson 

Another poor batting by team Bangladesh and very rare 30 runs (five sixes) in one over leaked by otherwise very tight bowling Shakib led Australia bounce back in the fourth match of the T20 series. 

Bangladesh was all in joy achieving their first ever series win against mighty Australia. We are not sure whether that caused any aberration. Yesterday playing with unchanged team Bangladesh huffed and puffed batting against better organized Australian bowling and fielding. Crafty Leg spinner Mitchel Swepson tormented Bangladesh batting taking 3/12 in his spell. Andrew Tye (3/18) and Hazelwood ( 2/24) joining the mission restricted Bangladesh to 104/7 their lowest score of the series . Brilliant bowling in earlier matches by Bangladesh in earlier matches could lead them successfully defend scores of 131 and 127. But 104 was too small. Yet defending that became well neigh impossible as Dan Christian blasted 5 sixes of a shocking over of Shakib. 

Yet Bangladesh bowlers fought well taking the game to the 19th over. Australia scrambled through scoring 105/7. Another 25 runs could make the match interesting. The only way for Bangladesh winning the match was making them all out. Riad should not have let Shakib bowl his quota after his second over and use his tramp card Mustafiz earlier. Soumya should also not have played in the match.

In the hind sight we must say none should expect Bangladesh winning all matches against formidable opposition like Australia. Yet the circumstances were in favour of the home team for pressing for series whitewash after wrapping up the series through three straight wins. But that did not happen through some strategic mistakes. Soumya was looking terrible against Australian attack in the series. His feet were not moving and he looked completely out of shorts. Bangladesh did not do justice to Soumya or the team playing him yesterday. We always told Bangladesh has genuine problem playing against genuine leg spinners. However, after encountering Zampa reasonably well in three matches Bangladesh batsmen looked like novice playing against Swepson. Him 3/12 and Andrew Tye 3/18 (replacing the last match record setting debutant Ellis) caused high flying tigers restricted 104/9. 

With Australian batting still struggling to decode Mustafiz and coming to term with slow low gripping surface even the lowest score could be defended. But Aussie all-rounder Dan Christian savaged Shakib’s second over unleashing five over boundaries. Yet Bangladesh fought back. Mustafiz chipped in with two wickets, Mehedi took two. Perhaps rattled by counter attack Raid made a strategic mistake. His only way of winning was letting his tramp card Mustafiz bowl his quota early and not bringing back Shakib for completing his quota. When a bowler leaks 50 while defending a very low total a team cannot win. Desperate for win Australia had sigh of relief winning by 3 wickets. The intensity was somehow missing from Bangladesh team. Mustafiz looked unplayable though taking 2/9 in his quota. Mehedi took 2/17. Christian striking 39 in 15 balls was the game changer.   Ashton Ager with 27 put the icing on the cake. 

Suddenly the pressure is back to Bangladesh. They need to finish the series with winning momentum, as Kiwis is far more balanced and stronger than the present Australian team. Would not be surprised if Australia appears with two leg spinners in the last match. Whom Bangladesh will play to replace Soumya?  Going down 2-3 would be far more acceptable for the tourists. 

BDST: 1236 HRS, AUG 8, 2021
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