Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss in Dhaka and, without much hesitation, decided Bangladesh would bat first in the final ODI against Australia. His promotion to captaincy comes after Mehidy Hasan Miraz was ruled out with concussion sustained during Sunday’s series-clinching victory.
“We think it’ll get slower later, so runs on the board are handy,” Shanto told the host broadcaster. A fairly simple line, but it broke a six-match losing streak at the toss for Bangladesh and, crucially, kept the home side on the front foot.
Bangladesh have made two changes. Off-spinner Mahedi Hasan – effectively a like-for-like for the absent Mehidy – plays his first ODI since facing Australia at the 2023 World Cup in Pune. Left-armer Shoriful Islam returns, allowing the coaching group to rest the lively Nahid Rana ahead of next week’s red-ball camp.
Australia, already two down in the series, have shuffled the pack. Matthew Short, out for three straight ducks, drops out, and Nathan Ellis is given a breather. Their places go to teenager Oliver Peake, pencilled in at No. 7, and left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis. Both are on tour but have yet to play 50-over cricket on this trip.
Josh Inglis, captaining in Pat Cummins’ absence, noted: “We’ve talked about sticking to our plans. Fresh faces can spark the group, so we’re backing the lads coming in.”
Conditions at the Shere Bangla National Stadium look familiar: a dry surface with only a veneer of grass. Early movement for the seamers should ebb away, leaving grip for the spinners once the afternoon wears on. Dew could make the closing overs awkward for whoever bowls second, an angle that usually works in Bangladesh’s favour.
Squads
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Tawhid Hridoy, Litton Das (wk), Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanvir Islam.
Australia: Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis (capt & wk), Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Oliver Peake, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Riley Meredith.
First ball is at 10:00 local time. Bangladesh are chasing a 3-0 sweep; Australia must win to salvage something from a tour that has yet to catch light.
