Australia 158-3 (Finch 71, Warner 48) beat
Bangladesh 153-5 (Shakib 66) by seven wickets
ICC World Twenty20 2014 Group Two, Mirpur
Scorecard

In their last game at the ICC World Twenty20, Australia beat Bangladesh by seven wickets at Mirpur, consigning the hosts to a winless Super 10 stage of the tournament.

At the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Aaron Finch and David Warner put up 98 runs for the opening stand as they made light work of overcoming the hosts' total of 153 for five in 20 overs.

In reply, Australia needed only 17.3 overs to finish at 158 for three and record their solitary win of this tournament.

Chasing 154, Australia needed to overcome difficulties at the top of their order and do something different from what they have done in the three games prior to this.

Finch and Warner did just that, starting in blitzkrieg fashion, bringing up the 50-run mark in the sixth over. The home attack looked all at sea once again as Australia got the start they had looked for in previous matches.

Warner was then the first to go, in the 12th over, after the damage had been done. He scored 48 runs off 35 balls, with five fours and three sixes, his highest individual score in the tournament.

It brought out Cameron White (18 not out) at the other end, as Shane Watson wasn’t given a chance to pad up today, with the 100-run mark also coming in the 12th over.

Thereafter Finch completed his fifth T20I fifty off 35 balls, and went on to score 71 runs in all, coming off only 45 balls. He hit seven fours and four sixes, falling in the 16th over, when the target line was in sight.

Glenn Maxwell (5) failed for once, falling at the brink of victory, even as Australia comfortably went past the mark with 15 balls to spare. Skipper George Bailey (11) was the unbeaten batsman, while Al-Amin Hossain (2-30) and debutant Taskin Ahmed (1-24) were the wicket-takers.

Earlier, Bangladesh had won the toss and elected to bat first. But they were off to a horrible start first up, with openers Tamim Iqbal (5) and Anamul Haque (0) departed and the score reading 13 for two in the fourth over.

The crowd went silent, looking at another major disappointment, but Shakib al Hasan saved the day for them. The all-rounder gave them much reason to cheer as he put on 112-run stand for the fourth wicket with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim.

The two started by rotating the strike, taking their time to cross the 50-run mark in the eighth over.

Then they opened up to play some good strokes as the next 50 runs came in quick time, with the 100-run mark passed in the 14th over.

In doing so Shakib scored his fourth T20I fifty in 40 balls, but sadly the captain missed his chance at the other end and fell for 47 runs off 36 balls. Rahim also hit five fours and one six.

Shakib laid the platform for a quick finish at the end, with 66 runs off 52 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes in all, as Bangladesh crossed the 150-run mark in the final over. Nathan Coulter-Nile (2-17) was the best bowler for the Australians, with Mitchell Starc (1-25), Doug Bollinger (1-31) and Shane Watson (1-25) providing able support.

© Cricket World 2014