History made! Bangladesh seal first ever ODI series win over Australia

Bangladesh center Mustafizur Rahman celebrates with teammates (AP Photo) Bangladesh made history on Thursday by securing their first-ever ODI series win over Australia, securing an unrepeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match contest with a five-wicket victory in the second match.A long rain interruption of nearly two and a half hours forced the officials to revise Bangladesh’s Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) target. Chasing 192 from 41 overs, the hosts comfortably reached 195 for 5 with six overs remaining, ensuring the series was theirs with one match to play. The ODI final is scheduled for Sunday at the same venue.The result was built on another disciplined all-round performance from Bangladesh after Australia’s batting line-up endured a disastrous start. The visitors lost their first three goals without scoring and were put under immediate pressure.Only resilient half-centuries from Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett helped Australia recover from an early collapse. Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 55 while Bartlett contributed 52 as Australia were eventually bowled out for 187 for 8 from their allotted 42 overs.Bangladesh made just one change to the side that won the opening ODI by 86 runs via the DLS method, bringing in opener Soumya Sarkar. The move paid off as Sarkar scored 42 and shared a key partnership with Najmul Hossain Shanto who also scored 42.After a shaky start, Shanto settled into his innings and added 86 runs alongside Sarkar to keep Bangladesh firmly in control of the chase. Riley Meredith eventually broke the stand as Shanto fell behind to hand the fast bowler his first ODI wicket in five years on his return to the format.Despite fielding well, Bangladesh briefly stumbled to 144 for 5 in the 27th over, giving Australia a glimmer of hope. However, Towhid Hridoy and Mehidy captain Hasan Miraz extinguished those hopes with an unbeaten 51-run partnership that guided the hosts over the finish line. Hridoy was not out on 40 off 55 deliveries.There was a worrying moment towards the end of the chase when Mehidy was hit on the helmet by a delivery from Nathan Ellis. The Bangladesh captain fell to his knees and threw up on the field. Although he declined the offer of a stretcher and continued to bat, Shanto later revealed that Mehidy was taken to hospital for observation after the match.Australia’s decision to fire at first backfired dramatically. Matthew Short registered his third consecutive ODI duck while Cooper Connolly and Matthew Renshaw also departed without scoring. It was only the fourth time in ODI history that a team had lost their first three wickets before opening their account.Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed were the main architects of Australia’s collapse. Both pacers claimed three wickets, with Mustafizur finishing with figures of 3 for 27 and Taskin returning 3 for 33. Mustafizur also accounted for Alex Carey, who was caught at the crease.Things got worse for Australia when captain Josh Inglis was dismissed at deep cover, leaving the visitors struggling at 68 for 5.Labuschagne, batting at No. 7, then teamed up with Bartlett and they began the recovery. The pair added 103 runs for the sixth wicket to give Australia something to play for after looking set for a much lower total. Labuschagne’s innings was particularly significant as it marked his first ODI half-century in 14 innings. He also enjoyed an early reprieve when Tanvir Islam missed the stumps with a run-out attempt while the batter was on just one.In the end, however, Bangladesh’s batting depth and composure under pressure proved decisive as they sealed a landmark ODI series triumph over Australia.