In the first of this two-team’s first bi-lateral ODI series in 15 years, Australia captain Josh Inglis won the toss and chose to bat first against Bangladesh at Dhaka in a rain-affected opening One-Day International.
The visitors have also made a change to their line-up, giving all-rounder Liam Scott his ODI debut. In fact, Australia has shuffled the batting lineup as well with Cooper Connolly coming in to open the innings with Matt Short. Fittingly, Inglis, who captains the side and will also keep wicket, will bat in the middle order as Australia aim to start the series on a high note.
With the combination of pace and spin, Australia has a pretty potent bowling attack and Nathan Ellis is set to play an important role through his clever variations; leg-spinner Adam Zampa will be entrusted with controls in the middle overs and maybe take one or two. Matt Kuhnemann and Ollie Peake, who were in the squad for the series against Pakistan, were excluded from the final XI for this match.
Bangladesh on the other hand, have committed to a pace-heavy plan. Current fast bowlers Nahid Rana generated interest after a brilliant form of three five wickets in the last 3 ODI series. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman have been at the forefront of recent years’ success for Bangladesh at home, and also behind the increased number of seam bowling options in some conditions.
All-rounder Mosaddek Hossain also makes a return to the ODI side for Bangladesh after having last played in August 2022. Returning Mosaddek is expected to help strengthen the order of batting in the middle that balance with experience. The squad will be once again led by Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, whose charges will be looking to take on one of the toughest challenges in world cricket.
The series-opener looks set to be a fascinating contest, with Bangladesh looking to continue their dominance on home turf and Australia looking to try out new combinations before future assignments. The combination of seasoned campaigners and promising talents in both sides, along with two cricketing nations reuniting for an ODI match after a long time only makes it even more enticing.