Dhaka, June 14: Cooper Connolly is being hailed as the next big star in Australian cricket. In the third ODI against Bangladesh on Sunday, Connolly not only scored his first century but also played a crucial role in securing a victory for Australia, preventing a clean sweep.
Bangladesh set a target of 275 runs for Australia. Connolly opened the innings, determined to lead his team to victory. Despite wickets falling at the other end, he maintained his composure, scoring 149 runs off 134 balls, with 13 fours and 6 sixes. His efforts helped Australia clinch the match by just one wicket, with three balls to spare. Connolly was dismissed in the 48.3 over as the ninth wicket, leaving Australia needing just 4 runs to win. They finished at 277 runs for 9 wickets in 49.3 overs.
Captain Josh Inglis contributed 21 runs, while Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, and Oliver Price added 29, 27, and 27 runs, respectively.
For Bangladesh, Shariful Islam took 6 wickets, but his performance was not enough to secure a win for his team.
Batting first, Bangladesh scored 274 runs for 5 wickets in their 50 overs. Towhid Hridoy was the standout performer with 83 runs, while Liton Das and Mosaddek Hossain remained unbeaten with scores of 58 and 56, respectively.
For Australia, Javier Doherty and Matt Renshaw each took 2 wickets.
Having already won the first two matches of the three-match series, Bangladesh had secured the series. Without Connolly’s remarkable innings, Australia would have faced defeat in the third ODI as well.
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