Matt Renshaw’s career-best innings guided Australia past Bangladesh in a thrilling second T20 in Chattogram.
Matt Renshaw produced the innings of his T20 career as Australia edged Bangladesh (11.50) by seven runs in Chattogram on Friday. The win sealed the three-match series with a game to spare. Renshaw finished unbeaten on 89, having earlier claimed a wicket with his bowling.
Australia (1.01) posted 196-5 after captain Mitchell Marsh chose to bat first. Bangladesh fought hard in pursuit but fell short, finishing on 189-6. The result also avenged Australia’s surprise 2-1 defeat in the preceding one-day series.
Renshaw And David Rescue Australia From Early Trouble
Australia stumbled to 44-3 inside the powerplay after losing both openers cheaply. Josh Inglis fell for 11 to Nasum Ahmed, while Nahid Rana removed the in-form Cooper Connolly for just one run. Mustafizur Rahman then dismissed Marsh for 20 on the final ball of the powerplay.
Renshaw and Tim David then combined in a match-defining stand. The pair added 97 runs off just 50 balls for the fourth wicket. David struck 45 off 26 deliveries, hitting four sixes during a particularly destructive assault on Abdul Gaffar Saqlain in the tenth over.
Renshaw reached his fifty off 29 balls after smashing leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for three consecutive sixes in the 13th over. He survived a tricky caught-and-bowled chance on 55 before continuing his assault. David eventually fell at a deep point, but Renshaw pushed on to finish unbeaten on a career-best 89.
“It’s nice to get a couple of wins and wrap up the series after two games,” Renshaw said afterwards. Asked whether the result felt like settling scores after the ODI series defeat, he admitted there was satisfaction in the turnaround. “It felt like every game we were just a little bit shy,” he said of the earlier series.
Bangladesh Launches Spirited Chase
Bangladesh openers Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan provided a blistering start in the chase, putting on 48 runs in just 3.4 overs. Tanzid struck 30 off 15 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before Renshaw removed him with a sharp return catch off his own bowling.
Soumya Sarkar maintained the tempo as Bangladesh reached 72-1 at the end of the powerplay. Adam Zampa then dismissed him for 15, slowing the home side’s progress. Parvez Hossain Emon counter-attacked immediately, striking 36 off 22 balls and combining with Saif in a 53-run stand for the third wicket.
Australia hit back when Aaron Hardie removed Emon, with Marsh completing a fine running catch at cover. Joel Davies then dismissed the well-set Saif for 42, swinging momentum firmly back toward Australia. Shamim Hossain followed soon after, holing out to Nathan Ellis at backward square-leg.
Hridoy’s Late Surge Falls Just Short
Bangladesh required 63 runs from the final 40 balls, with captain Towhid Hridoy attempting to keep the chase alive. He struck a brisk 35 off 22 balls, sharing a 36-run stand with Abdul Gaffar Saqlain to bring the equation back within reach.
The finish proved dramatic. Hridoy thumped Hardie for six with three balls remaining, reducing the target to 12 off two deliveries. He then mistimed the next ball for four off a leading edge, leaving eight runs needed from the final delivery. Hridoy swung hard at Hardie’s last ball, but could only find David at wide long-on to end the chase.
“We were moving according to plan,” Emon said after the match. “I felt the biggest damage was my wicket and Saif’s wicket falling back-to-back. We fell a bit behind there; otherwise, it was looking very good.”
Hardie finished with two wickets for Australia, while Ellis, Renshaw, Zampa and Davies each claimed one. Nasum Ahmed was the standout bowler for Bangladesh with 2-27.
Marsh praised the turnaround in fortunes after Australia’s previous tour of Bangladesh in 2021 ended in a 4-1 series defeat: “I’m really happy for Renshaw,” he said. “That partnership with David was fantastic. They got us out of a reasonably tricky position, then went through the gears and got us to a really competitive total.”
The third and final T20 will be played in Chattogram on Sunday, with Australia already holding an unassailable series lead.
