Image Credit- Getty
Bangladesh was
hammered by eight wickets on Wednesday in Dhaka as a merciless Australia swept
their ODI series.
Alyssa Healy won the toss and bowled without any hesitation, already up 2-0.
And with just 24 on the board by the end of the eighth over, opening duo Kim
Garth and Ellyse Perry dominated early on, dismissing the top three batsmen,
Fargana Hoque (5), Sumaiya Akter (0), and Murshida Khatun (8).
Bangladesh lost wickets frequently during the innings and never got back,
eventually being bowled out for 89 in 26.2 overs.
Although Bangladesh
might have been more humiliated, Australia finished with 14 wides, making
extras the highest scoring team with 20. With 16, Captain Nigar Sultana was the
next best performer out of 39 deliveries.
Garth won Player-of-the-Match after taking three wickets for eleven in seven
overs. Sophie Molineux (2 for 23), Ash Gardner (3 for 25), and Perry (2 for 17)
also offered strong support.
Australia reached 93 for 2 in 18.3 overs with the help of Healy (33 in 34
balls), Perry (27 not out in 28), and Beth Mooney (21 not out in 22). They
wasted no time in reaching the meagre mark.
Healy, leg before to
Rabeya Khatun, and Phoebe Litchfield, caught and bowled by Sultana Khatun for
twelve, were the two wickets to fall.
Given her performances in the first few games, Gardner’s three-wicket haul
earned her the title of Player-of-the-Series. In the first ODI, she made 32 and
claimed 3 for 22, and in the second, she made an undefeated 20 and claimed 2
for 22.
Australia will now play three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against
Bangladesh. The first match is scheduled on Sunday, March 31, with the
remaining two matches taking place on Tuesday, April 2, and Thursday, April 4.
Every match will take place in Dhaka.