Bangladesh will look to keep their hopes alive of securing a second consecutive T20 series victory over Australia when they face the visitors in the second match of the three-game series at Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram today (Friday).
The match, scheduled to begin at 2 PM local time, has effectively become a must-win encounter for the hosts after they suffered a four-wicket defeat in the opening T20I.
Bangladesh entered the series high on confidence following their historic 2-1 ODI series triumph over Australia, in which they outplayed the visitors in a manner rarely seen before. They came close to completing an ODI whitewash as well, only to lose the third match by one wicket.
However, the opening T20I exposed Bangladesh's persistent batting frailties. Unable to counter a disciplined Australian bowling attack, particularly the spinners, the hosts were bowled out for just 131 in 19 overs.
Australian spinners claimed nine of the 10 Bangladesh wickets before the visitors comfortably chased down the target in 18.2 overs.
Stand-in captain Towhid Hridoy, who led Bangladesh for the first time in any format after regular skipper Liton Das was sidelined with an ankle injury, admitted the batting failure.
"As a batting unit, we failed today, so hopefully we will overcome from here. We all know what kind of mistake we made, so hopefully the next match we will overcome it," Hridoy said after the defeat.
"We lost back to back wickets in the middle and that's why we didn't build a partnership. As I mentioned earlier, we will overcome."
He admitted that Bangladesh were well short of a competitive total on the Chattogram surface.
"As a batting unit, we should have scored at least 160 or 170. Every series and every match, the bowling unit has done well. Next time we will do better," he added.
Expressing satisfaction at his side's performance in the opening game, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said his team would be aiming to wrap up the series with another victory.
"It's always nice to start a series with a win, especially a three-match series. So, yeah, a good start for the boys," Marsh said.
The Australian skipper also noted that the pitch behaved differently from those used during the ODI series.
"We were probably a little bit surprised at the lack of pace and bounce in the wicket, but I thought that we picked a really well-rounded team," he said.
The two teams have met 12 times in T20 internationals, with Australia holding an 8-4 advantage. Bangladesh's four victories came during their memorable 4-1 series triumph over Australia in Mirpur in 2021, the last T20 series contested between the sides.
Australia are expected to retain the same combination for the second match, while Bangladesh may consider changes to their lineup as they seek to level the series and force a decider. "BSS
