Australia Cruise Past Bangladesh With 10 Balls to Spare as Zampa Spins a Web in Chittagong

Australia won by 4 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) in the 92nd match of 132 in the T20 Internationals 2026 season, played at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chittagong. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat but could only muster 131 all out in 19 overs. Australia chased it down with 10 balls to spare, losing six wickets along the way. It was a clinical display from the tourists, who head into this bilateral series on the front foot.

First Innings – Bangladesh 131 all out (19 overs)

Bangladesh’s decision to bat first looked promising early on. Tanzid Hasan (10 off 9) and Saif Hassan (20 off 14) put on 26 for the first wicket before Tanzid fell caught in the third over at 2.5 overs. Saif continued to attack with three fours in his 14-ball stay, but his dismissal at 39-2 in the fifth over brought Soumya Sarkar to the crease.

Sarkar (17 off 18, SR 94) and Towhid Hridoy (8 off 5) steadied things briefly, but the scoring rate stalled. Hridoy was bowled at 57-4 in the seventh over, and when Parvez Hossain Emon (10 off 12, SR 83) departed at 75-5 in the 11th over, Bangladesh were in trouble.

The middle order crumbled. Shamim Hossain made just 1 off 4 before falling at 78-7, and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain (10 off 10) could not build any momentum. Mahedi Hasan was the one bright spot, finishing unbeaten on 29 off 22 with four boundaries to drag the total past 130. The tail offered some resistance – Shoriful Islam hit a six in his 7 off 7 and Mustafizur Rahman cleared the rope once in his 7 off 5 – but it was not enough.

Adam Zampa was the pick of Australia’s bowlers with 3/18 from his four overs at an economy of 4.50. Joel Davies matched Zampa’s three-wicket haul, returning 3/17 from three overs at 5.67. Matt Renshaw chipped in with 2/26 from three overs, while Spencer Johnson (1/10 from 2 overs, Econ 5.00) and Nikhil Chaudhary (1/14 from 2 overs) picked up a wicket each. Only Xavier Bartlett (0/19) and Nathan Ellis (0/22) went wicketless.

Second Innings – Australia 133/6 (18.2 overs)

Australia’s chase started poorly. Josh Inglis (5 off 5) was bowled at 13-1 in the third over, and when Mitchell Marsh (13 off 14) was caught at 38-2 in the fifth over, Australia were in a similar position to Bangladesh at the same stage.

Enter Cooper Connolly. The left-hander played the innings of the match – 47 off 27 balls with four fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 174. Connolly took the game to the Bangladesh bowlers, putting on 40 with Marsh and then a crucial 51-run partnership with Tim David (20 off 16, two sixes). His dismissal at 78-3 in the 10th over was a blow, but by then Australia were well ahead of the rate.

Tim David fell at 89-4 in the 12th over, and Nikhil Chaudhary (18 off 13, two fours) kept things ticking alongside Matt Renshaw (18 off 28, SR 64). Chaudhary’s departure at 116-5 in the 17th over and Renshaw’s catch at 129-6 in the 19th over caused a brief wobble, but Joel Davies (7* off 6) and Xavier Bartlett (4* off 1, a boundary to seal it) saw Australia home with 10 balls remaining.

For Bangladesh, the bowling was spread evenly but lacked a killer spell. Abdul Gaffar Saqlain took 2/32 from 3.2 overs, while Shoriful Islam (1/22), Mustafizur Rahman (1/16, Econ 5.33), Mahedi Hasan (1/29) and Rishad Hossain (1/26) each claimed a wicket. None could build sustained pressure.

Statz MVP – Adam Zampa (94.07)

Adam Zampa’s 3/18 from four overs earned him a Statz Match Impact rating of 94.07 – the highest in the match by a significant margin. The Statz algorithm calculates impact based on match context, and Zampa’s three wickets during the crucial middle-overs period where Bangladesh were trying to accelerate proved decisive. He was also named official Player of the Match, making it a clean sweep. Zampa now has a season average MI rating of 69.16 across four T20I matches in 2026 – elite consistency.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. Adam Zampa – 94.07 – Three wickets at 4.50 economy through four overs of leg-spin. Strangled Bangladesh’s middle order when they needed to accelerate.
2. Mahedi Hasan – 77.16 – The lone Bangladesh resistance. 29* off 22 with the bat to push them past 130, plus 1/29 from four overs of off-spin. A genuine all-round contribution in a losing cause.
3. Cooper Connolly – 75.37 – Top-scored with 47 off 27 (SR 174) including three sixes. Took the game away from Bangladesh during the powerplay and middle overs of the chase.
4. Joel Davies – 66.89 – Match figures of 3/17 from three overs with the ball, plus an unbeaten 7 off 6 to help finish the job. A fine all-round debut-series performance.
5. Mustafizur Rahman – 51.00 – Tight with the ball (1/16, Econ 5.33) and contributed 7 off 5 with the bat including a six. Bangladesh’s most economical bowler on the day.

Turning Point

The match turned during Bangladesh’s innings when Shamim Hossain was caught for 1 off 4 balls at 78-7 in the 12th over. Bangladesh had already lost Parvez Hossain Emon two overs earlier at 75-5 and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain at 86-6, but it was Shamim’s quick dismissal that truly killed the momentum. From 64-3 after eight overs, Bangladesh lost four wickets for just 14 runs to slump to 78-7. That collapse took any prospect of a competitive 160+ total completely off the table and left Mahedi Hasan stranded at the other end.

Match Context

This was the 92nd match of 132 in the T20 Internationals 2026 season – the first of a bilateral series between Bangladesh and Australia in Chittagong. Bangladesh sit 8th in the ICC T20I rankings (rating 225), while Australia are 3rd (rating 258). In head-to-head T20I meetings, Bangladesh lead 4-2 overall, having won four of five matches during Australia’s 2021 tour of Bangladesh. This result narrows that gap and gives Australia a strong start to the series away from home.

For the full scorecard and player ratings, visit statz.ai.