Connolly's century helps Australia avoid whitewash, beat Bangladesh by 1 wicket

Dhaka [Bangladesh], June 14 (ANI): Australia avoided a series whitewash by winning the final ODI by 1 wicket on Sunday, denying Bangladesh a clean sweep after the hosts had claimed the first two rain-affected matches.

Bangladesh posted a competitive 274, courtesy of valuable contributions from Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, and Mosaddek Hossain.

In reply, Australia got off to a brisk start through their openers, but the chase lost momentum after the opening stand was broken. Josh Inglis and Matthew Renshaw departed in quick succession, while Alex Carey was unable to make a meaningful impact.

Australia’s recovery was engineered by a crucial partnership between Cooper Connolly and Marnus Labuschagne, which steadied the innings and restored control of the chase. Cameron Green then provided valuable support as the visitors edged closer to the target.

Although wickets continued to tumble at the other end, Connolly remained composed, regularly finding the boundary and keeping Australia on track.

The all-rounder eventually fell in the 49th over after a superb century, but Adam Zampa sealed the victory with a crisp cover drive.

Despite an outstanding spell from Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam, whose relentless effort kept Bangladesh in the contest, it was Connolly’s match-winning hundred that ultimately proved the difference, guiding Australia to a consolation victory and overshadowing the pacer’s impressive display.

Brief score: Bangladesh 274/5 (Towhid Hridoy 83, Litton Das 58; Matt Renshaw 2/44). Vs Australia 277/9 (Cooper Connolly 149, Marnus Labuschagne 29; Shoriful Islam 6/48). (ANI)

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