Australia delivered exactly what was required at the T20 World Cup on Thursday, crushing a sorry Bangladesh outfit by eight wickets to keep its tournament alive in breathtaking fashion.
Aaron Finch’s side had to win the match in Dubai first and foremost with gaining a significant net run rate boost an important, albeit secondary, mission to make the semi finals.
Australia completed both tasks with ease, rolling Bangladesh for just 73, with Adam Zampa taking a career-best 5-19, before chasing down the meagre total with a whopping 82 balls to spare and inside 36 minutes,
It was the fewest balls ever needed in a successful T20I chase by Australia, and comes off the back of the nation’s heaviest-ever defeat in terms of balls remaining (50 against England).
Finch topscored with 40 runs off 20 balls, including four sixes, while Mitchell Marsh hit 16 off five to finish the job in a hurry.
Australia’s path to the semi finals was narrow but has now blown wide open given it has surpassed South Africa’s net run rate to move into second in the group, behind England.
Justin Langer’s side must now beat the West Indies on Saturday (9pm AEDT) and hope South Africa loses to England in its final game.
Should the Proteas beat the tournament favourites, then Australia is still likely to progress to play Pakistan with victory over the West Indies given its superior net run rate.
Astonishingly, Australia overturned a large net RR deficit to South Africa before the game by moving to 1.031 compared to the Proteas’ +0.742.
Taskin Ahmed bowled Finch after the batsman smashed two fours and four sixes in his 20-ball knock, and David Warner was out for 18 but the wickets remained minor blemishes in Australia’s third win in four matches.
Having won the toss, Australia captain Finch sent Bangladesh in to bat before his bowlers ran riot in a dominant display from the first over.
Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc bowled Liton Das for nought on the third delivery of the innings to set the tone for Australia’s dominance.
Soumya Sarkar dragged a Josh Hazlewood delivery onto his stumps and Glenn Maxwell trapped Mushfiqur Rahim lbw for one as Bangladesh slipped to 10-3 and then 33-5 in 6.1 overs.
Captain Mahmudullah Riyad, who made 16, then put up some resistance with a 29-run partnership with Shamim Hossain, who scored 19, before Zampa broke through with his second wicket.
Zampa struck again off successive balls in his third over to be on a hat-trick that nearly came through in his opening ball of his final over but wicketkeeper Matthew Wade dropped a catch.
Zampa then took two more to wrap up the innings in 15 overs and surpass his previous T20 best of 3-14.
Bangladesh, which has now lost all five matches, witnessed a second-straight collapse after it was bowled out for 84 in the previous loss to South Africa.
Australia came out roaring as Finch and Warner punished the opposition bowlers with hits all around the ground.
Mustafizur Rahman was taken for 21 runs in the fourth over.
Mitchell Marsh hit the winning six in his five-ball 16.
Story first published on Fox Sports Australia