There are serious questions about the Australian top order's ability to cope with spin from the outset.
Bangladesh vs Australia | Third T20I | Friday 6 August 2021 | Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka | 14:00
Bangladesh
Bangladesh couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the series or w bigger fillup before the ICC T20 World Cup later this year.
It has helped the hosts that the pitch has been tricky to bat on playing into their strengths and the weaknesses of their opponents.
Afif Hossain was man of the match for Bangladesh in the second T20I after guiding them home with a calm finishing cameo, but the heavy lifting was done by the bowlers.
Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan got stuck into the Australian top order, and with both in form and great backup coming from Shakib Al Hasan, Nasum Ahmed and Shoriful Islam, Bangladesh are favourites to take this series.
Australia
Alex Carey is enduring a nightmare series as a batsman and captain in Bangladesh, but he doesn’t have all the crack troops at his disposal.
Mitchell Marsh was again the top scorer for Australia in a disappointing effort from the men in gold. Marsh is still the only top-order player to put their hand up on their travels.
The bowlers have kept Australia in the game, but with so little help coming from the batsmen, they would need to work miracles to pull the team out of the doldrums.
Mitchell Starc and Andrew Tye took some punishment in the second match and will want to put in a strong performance on Friday.
Verdict: Bangladesh
The hosts should wrap the series up.
