Australia Vs Bangladesh- Talking Points

The Group A clash between Australia and Bangladesh did live up to its expectations, as Australia who hiccuped at the end never looked like losing to a Bangladeshi side, who had been rocked by the ban on two of their main strike bowlers in Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny. A look back at this game held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with some talking points.

Khawaja steals Finch’s spot

Usman Khawaja’s stellar form had prompted Aaron Finch to drop himself, and rightly so after the Queenslander’s terrific 58, which paved the way for an Aussie win.
Khawaja, who had bitter memories from his last visit to India, when he was sent back by the then Aussie coach Micky Arthur has come back strongly. After a quickfire 36 against the Kiwis on a tough wicket, Khawaja tore through the Bangladeshi bowling, a bunch which has not conceded an opening stand of 50 runs in their last 10 T20s, to marshal Australia all along in an important chase in Bangalore.

Mahmudullah- bright spot for Bangladesh

Almost playing a lone hand in the Bangladeshi batting, Mahmudullah gave the much-needed impetus to his side’s innings, helping them reach a score to bowl at. Mahmudullah, who was in the thick of things in World Cup of 2015 and also the Asia cup final seems to be the go-to man for Bangladeshi fortunes. His knock, however, went in vain, as the Australians led by Khawaja knocked it off in just 18.3 overs. Mahmudullah, however, did play his part to stand out on a day where his side never really looked like being in the game.

The final nail in Bangladeshi coffin?

An expectedly shaken Bangladeshi side took on Australia in this Group A game, on the back of some ‘unfair’ bans of both Taskin and Sunny, according to ESPNcricinfo pundit Ian Chappel. After their heavy loss to Pakistan in Kolkata, Bangladesh had to bounce back to stay alive in the tournament, but it seems their campaign might be done and dusted with very quickly indeed. The team just never recovered from its ban on their main bowlers and with an in-form Tamim Iqbal ill, the team was almost waiting to be run over by an Australian desperate for points after losing to their neighbors in New Zealand at Dharamshala.

Inconsistent Aussie middle order could spell doom.

The Australian middle led by David Warner almost runs single-handedly on the left hander’s shoulders. Although packed with big hitters in Maxwell and Marsh. The all-rounders need to come good with the bat if Australia wants to go all the way in this tournament. With both India and Pakistan having good bowling line-ups, the middle order’s inconsistency need to be shrugged away, as a loss to any of these Asian sides could prove costly for the Kangaroo nation.

A gem in ‘Adam Zampa’

The biggest positive of the game for Australia by far has been the performance of their trusted leggie, Adam Zampa on a flat Bengaluru wicket. With the India wickets tired after a long season, there most certainly will be some assistance to the slower bowlers and hence the truckload of spinners in World T20. However Australia has been heavily relying on Maxwell and Co. to provide some slower ones however Zampa has come to the party just at the right time. With a leggie coming to the  fore, Australia’s bowling seems to be shaping in the right direction.