Tigers eye rare clean sweep

Bangladesh stand one step away from a rare 3-0 One Day International series sweep over Australia after already sealing a historic series victory in Mirpur.
The Tigers ended a 21-year wait for an ODI win against Australia on 9 June with an 86-run victory (via Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method), before clinching their first-ever bilateral series against the six-time world champions with a five-wicket win in the second match on Thursday.
Now, with the three-match series already secured, Bangladesh have the chance to complete a clean sweep in Sunday’s final ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
A 3-0 result would make Bangladesh the first Asian team in this century to whitewash Australia in a bilateral ODI series.
“Of course, it would be a huge achievement,” said Soumya Sarkar ahead of the final match. “A series win itself is a great achievement; we could have celebrated more.  
But if we can win 3-0, it would be bigger. Our aim will be that. We’ll play positive cricket. Whoever plays better in all three departments will win.”
Soumya made an immediate impact after returning to the XI in the second ODI, scoring 42 off 47 balls as Bangladesh chased down 192 in 35 overs, well ahead of the revised 41. He also shared an 86-run stand for the second wicket with Najmul Hossain Shanto after the early dismissal of Tanzid Hasan Tamim.

Despite the series already wrapped up, Bangladesh are unlikely to experiment heavily in the final match. Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz remains under observation after a concussion scare and his availability will depend on further assessment.
“This is a management decision,” Soumya said on team selection. “But if you ask for my opinion, I would say that it’s better not to experiment because we are playing against a very strong team. Winning 3-0 would be a huge achievement. So the best available players should play.”
Bangladesh have added off-spinner Mahedi Hasan to the squad for the final ODI. The 31-year-old returns to the ODI setup after nearly three years, having last played against Australia during the 2023 ICC World Cup in India.
Australia, meanwhile, will be playing for pride after suffering back-to-back defeats. The visitors have struggled with inconsistent batting and fielding lapses throughout the series.
“It hasn’t been the ideal series for us,” said batter Marnus Labuschagne. “But every game is an opportunity, and we want to finish the series 2-1.”

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