Australian Cameron Green congratulates Cooper Connolly (AP Photo)
Cooper Connolly produced his career ODI innings as Australia avoided a series whitewash against Bangladesh with a dramatic one-run victory in the third and final ODI in Dhaka on Sunday.The left-hander made a brilliant 149, his maiden ODI century, and kept Australia’s chase intact despite a brilliant fightback from Bangladesh led by Shoryful Islam’s six wickets. Australia eventually crossed the line with three balls remaining, finishing on 277/9 in pursuit of 275.
After choosing to bat, Bangladesh overcame a shaky start to post a competitive average of 274/5. Tawhid Hridui scored the first goal with 83 goals, while Liton Das contributed an unbeaten 58 goals and Musaddiq Hossain added a quick 56 as the hosts recovered impressively from the early setbacks.Australia’s chase started on a positive note, with Josh Inglis attacking from the start. The wicketkeeper-batsman hit 21 off just 12 deliveries as the visitors raced to 40 without loss in five overs.Bangladesh hit back through Shariful Islam who turned the match on its head with two wickets at the same time. Inglis fell to a catch at leg-side before bowling Matt Renshaw, suddenly leaving Australia under pressure. Taskin Ahmed then removed Alex Carey, thanks to a stunning catch from Soumya Sarkar at cover, reducing the tourists to 71/3.
Amid the meltdown, Connolly remained calm. He absorbed the pressure, rotated the strike effectively and punished scoring chances whenever they presented themselves.Along with Marnus Labuschagne, Connolly rebuilt the innings with a crucial 64-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Labuschagne contributed a patient 29 before he edged Shoriful Islam to replace wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan.Connolly continued to control the chase and received further support from Cameron Green.
The duo added 58 points before Mahdi Hassan dismissed Green for 27 runs.Despite cramps in damp Dhaka conditions, Connolly reached his maiden ODI hundred off just 87 balls and looked set to comfortably lead Australia to victory.However, Bangladesh faced one last challenge.Shoriful completed his first five-wicket haul in ODI cricket by dismissing Oliver Peake and Xavier Bartlett in successive deliveries. The left-arm pacer later removed Ben Dwarshuis as well, eventually finishing with impressive figures of 6/48.The tension increased further when Mustafizur Rahman bowled Connolly in the penultimate minute. His dismissal for a brilliant 149 sparked panic as Australia slumped from 266/5 to 271/9, suddenly leaving the result in doubt.Australia needed two runs from the final over, and relied on the last identified batsman.
Adam Zampa
Bangladesh responded calmly, pushing Taskin Ahmed through the covers to seal a thrilling win and prevent Bangladesh from completing a clean sweep.Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings started on a difficult note after Xavier Bartlett removed Parvez Hossain Emon cheaply.Tenzid Hasan Tamim briefly counterattacked with 20 off 19 deliveries, including a six and two boundaries, but Bangladesh lost their second wicket at 53 when Matt Renshaw was forced to make an error at mid-on at the end of the Powerplay.Renshaw struck again soon after, bowling captain Najm Hossain Shanto for 24 and leaving Bangladesh struggling at 62/3 in the 15th over.Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy then anchored the roles with an ensemble partnership. Australia’s players, led by Adam Zampa and Renshaw, kept the scoring in check, but the pair continued to alternate strokes and gradually rebuild.Litton found momentum through the middle despite struggling with a calf problem, while Hridoy became increasingly fluent as the innings progressed. The right-hander reached his half-century and helped Bangladesh past 190 in their 39th century.The hosts’ performance accelerated significantly in the final stages. Hridoy and Mosaddiq added 90 runs together, shifting the momentum firmly in Bangladesh’s favour.Hridoy’s brilliant innings ended with 83 off 88 balls after he was caught at deep mid-off in the 46th over. His knock featured eight boundaries.Mosaddeq completed a fast fifty off just 43 balls, while Litton, who had briefly retired due to cramp, returned to the crease and reached his half-century off 75 deliveries.Although Australia took a few late wickets through Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, Bangladesh’s middle order ensured they finished with a difficult total of 274/5.However, in the end, Connolly’s best knock of his career proved decisive as Australia escaped with a dramatic series-ending victory.Brief scores: Bangladesh 274/5 in 50 overs (Tawid Hridoy 83, Liton Das 58*, Mosaddiq Hossain 56*; Matt Renshaw 2/44) lost to Australia 277/9 in 49.3 overs (Cooper Connolly 149, Marnus Labuschagne 29; Shariful Islam 6/48) by one wicket.