Cooper Connolly’s epic 149 breaks Bangladeshi hearts in final thriller as Australia avoid whitewash

Australia’s Cameron Green congratulates Cooper Connolly (AP Photo) Cooper Connolly produced the innings of his career in ODIs as Australia avoided a series sweep against Bangladesh with a dramatic one-wicket victory in the third and final ODI in Dhaka on Sunday.The left-hander hit a magnificent 149, his maiden ODI century, and held Australia’s chase together despite remarkable resistance from Bangladesh, led by Shoriful Islam’s six-wicket haul. Australia finally crossed the line with three balls to spare and finished at 277/9 in pursuit of 275.After opting to bat, Bangladesh overcame a shaky start to post a competitive 274/5. Towhid Hridoy top-scored with 83 while Litton Das contributed an unbeaten 58 and Mosaddek Hossain added a brisk 56 as the hosts recovered impressively from early setbacks.Australia’s chase got off to a positive start with Josh Inglis attacking from the start. The wicketkeeper-batsman struck 21 off just 12 deliveries as the visitors raced to 40 for no loss in five overs.Bangladesh responded through Shoriful Islam who turned the game on its head with two wickets in the same over. Inglis was trapped on the leg side before Matt Renshaw was bowled, leaving Australia suddenly under pressure. Taskin Ahmed then removed Alex Carey, thanks to a spectacular catch by Soumya Sarkar at cover, reducing the tourists to 71/3.Amidst the collapse, Connolly remained composed. He absorbed pressure, rotated the shot effectively and punished scoring opportunities whenever they arose.Along with Marnus Labuschagne, Connolly rebuilt the innings through a crucial partnership of 64 runs for the fourth wicket. Labuschagne contributed a patient 29 before slotting past Shoriful Islam behind substitute keeper Nurul Hasan.Connolly continued to dominate the chase and received further support from Cameron Green. The pair added 58 runs before Green was dismissed by Mahedi Hasan on 27.Despite battling cramp in Dhaka’s humid conditions, Connolly reached his first ODI hundred from just 87 balls and looked set to lead Australia comfortably to victory.However, Bangladesh launched one final challenge.Shoriful completed his maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket by dismissing Oliver Peake and Xavier Bartlett in quick succession. The left-arm pacer later removed Ben Dwarshuis as well and ended up with excellent figures of 6/48.The tension was heightened when Mustafizur Rahman bowled Connolly in the penultimate over. His dismissal for a brilliant 149 sparked panic as Australia slumped from 266/5 to 271/9, leaving the result suddenly in doubt.Needing two runs from the final over, Australia relied on their last recognized batsmen. Adam Zampa responded calmly and drove Taskin Ahmed through the covers to seal a thrilling victory and prevent Bangladesh from completing a clean sweep.Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings got off to a rocky start after Xavier Bartlett removed Parvez Hossain Emon cheaply.Tanzid Hasan Tamim briefly struck 20 off 19 deliveries, including a six and two boundaries, but Bangladesh lost their second wicket on 53 when Matt Renshaw forced an error at mid-on at the end of the over.Renshaw struck again soon after, bowling captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for 24 to leave Bangladesh with a 62/3 problem in the 15th over.Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy then stabilized the innings with a composed partnership. Australia’s spinners, led by Adam Zampa and Renshaw, kept the score in check, but the pair continued to rotate strikes and gradually recovered.Litton found momentum during the middle overs despite struggling with a calf problem, while Hridoy became smoother as the innings progressed. The right-hander hit his half-century to help Bangladesh cross the 190 mark in the 39th over.The home team accelerated significantly in the closing stages. Hridoy and Mosaddek added 90 runs together, shifting the momentum firmly in Bangladesh’s favour.Hridoy’s impressive innings ended on 83 off 88 balls after he was caught at deep mid-wicket in the 46th over. His knock accounted for eight boundaries.Mosaddek completed a blistering fifty from just 43 balls while Litton, who had briefly retired injured due to cramp, returned to the crease to reach his half-century from 75 deliveries.Although Australia took some late wickets through Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, Bangladesh’s middle order ensured they finished with a challenging total of 274/5.In the end, however, Connolly’s career-best knock proved decisive as Australia escaped with a dramatic victory in the series finale.Brief scores: Bangladesh 274/5 in 50 overs (Towhid Hridoy 83, Litton Das 58*, Mosaddek Hossain 56*; Matt Renshaw 2/44) lost to Australia 277/9 in 49.3 overs.