This series and any others in the format right now will all be about the T20 World Cup in one way or another.
Bangladesh vs Australia | First T20I | Tuesday 3 August 2021 | Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka | 14:00
Bangladesh
Bangladesh would like to be in a position where they are favourites playing at home against Australia, but pandemic protocols have played havoc with their preparation.
Mahmudullah is the leader of the team in title, and he is also expected to be their key batsman.
Mosaddek Hossain and Soumya Sarkar are no longer fringe players and must also start pulling their weight when it comes to winning matches for Bangladesh.
Mustafizur Rahman and Mehedi Hasan are likely to be the most dangerous bowlers, but home conditions mean any one of their string of part-time spinners could factor.
Shakib-al-Hasan’s allround talents have provided a big boost to Bangladesh since his return from a banning.
Australia
Australia have not taken a full strength team to Bangladesh and they will be led by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Mitchell Marsh was the best batsman for Australia in their recent T20I series in the West Indies and is one of the few men improving his chances of making the world cup squad.
There will be more opportunities for young fast bowler Riley Meredith who also gets to turn out alongside role model Mitchell Starc.
Australia need to bounce back from their series loss to the West Indies which most of this squad were involved in, and it will also give them practice on slower pitches in the shortest format.
Verdict: Australia
Even in Dhaka, Australia should have the edge.
