In a thrilling match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday, Cooper Connolly showcased his talent with a remarkable maiden ODI century, guiding Australia to a nail-biting one-wicket victory over Bangladesh. The 22-year-old left-hander’s aggressive innings of 149 off 134 deliveries, featuring 13 boundaries and six maximums, anchored Australia’s pursuit of 275 runs. Despite appearing to cruise towards the target, Australia faced a late scare as Bangladesh staged a remarkable comeback, taking four quick wickets for just five runs and reducing Australia to 271-9.
Pacer Shoriful Islam was the standout performer for Bangladesh, claiming a career-best 6-48, including the crucial wickets of Oliver Peake, Xavier Bartlett, and Ben Dwarshuis. Mustafizur Rahman added to the tension by dismissing Connolly in the penultimate over, but Australia managed to keep their composure. Adam Zampa, who survived a dropped chance early in his innings, sealed the win for Australia with a boundary off Taskin Ahmed, as they reached 277-9 in 49.3 overs.
Despite the victory, Australia lost the three-match series 2-1, with Bangladesh clinching the first two matches. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh recovered from a shaky start to post a competitive total of 274-5 in their 50 overs. Tawhid Hridoy top-scored with 83 runs, supported by Litton Das and Mosaddek Hossain, who remained unbeaten on 58 and 56 respectively.
Batting first, Bangladesh faced early setbacks but managed to build partnerships through Hridoy and Litton, as well as Hridoy and Mosaddek, to set a challenging target for Australia. In reply, Australia’s chase got off to a rocky start, but Connolly’s heroics and valuable contributions from Labuschagne, Green, and Peake guided them to the brink of victory.
Despite Bangladesh’s spirited fightback, including good bowling performances and fielding efforts, Australia held their nerve to secure a narrow win. The teams will now shift their focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series in Chattogram starting on June 17.