Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey

BAN vs AUS 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | BAN vs AUS 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Bangladesh vs Australia 1st T20I Key Players | Dhaka Pitch Report

We are in rare territory this August. It’s not often we see a Bangladesh–Australia matchup, and it’s even rarer in T20I circles. Never before have these two teams met in a T20I outside of the World Cup, and this five-match series has plenty riding on it as players look to stake their claims for a spot in their respective team’s T20 World Cup squad.

What an opportunity this is for Bangladesh. The last time Australia toured these shores was in 2017, where the Tigers created history by winning the first Test of that series. Shakib Al Hasan was the chief destroyer on that occasion, and Bangladesh will be hoping he has a similar impact here in the absence of Tamim Iqbal (injury) and Mushfiqur Rahim (COVID-19 quarantine).

Bangladesh are coming off a competitive series in Zimbabwe, where they achieved their second-highest successful chase of 194 to seal that series 2-1. While they need to improve on certain aspects of their game, they’ll consider themselves a chance against an Australia side reeling from a 4-1 series defeat in West Indies. Aaron Finch joins a list of experienced names unavailable, with Matthew Wade to lead a team desperate to build some confidence and momentum ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Bangladesh:

• Shakib Al Hasan has enjoyed success against Australia before and he will no doubt be key here. The star all-rounder has scored 143 runs in the four T20Is against Australia (avg. 35.75, SR 123.27), including a score of 66 on this ground in the 2014 T20 World Cup. Plus, he has taken five wickets, including 3/27 in India back in 2016.
• Also, Shakib has significant T20 experience at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. He has played a total of 100 matches on this ground, with 1,759 runs and 135 wickets to his name.
• Soumya Sarkar was outstanding in Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh will want him to replicate that form vs Australia. In the three recent T20Is, Sarkar scored two half-centuries (50, 8, 68) and took three wickets.
• However, Soumya will be out to improve his T20 numbers on this ground (83 matches, 1,486 runs, avg. 20.64, SR 121.70).
• Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah could be a key factor in this series. No player has scored more runs in T20Is on this ground than him (20 inns, 477 runs, avg. 53.00, SR 137.86), plus has a score of 49* in three T20Is vs Australia.
• Watch out for Shamim Hossain, the finisher. In his two games in Zimbabwe, Shamim smashed 60 runs at a strike rate of 214.29.
• Mohammad Saifuddin will be key for Bangladesh in the death overs. He is a wicket-taker, as his T20 record at Shere Bangla Stadium suggests (48 matches, 61 wickets).
• Bangladesh will be hoping that Mustafizur Rahman is fit. He took 2/30 in his only T20I vs Australia so far (in 2016), and has taken an impressive 81 wickets in 58 T20s on this ground.

Australia:

• Mitchell Marsh was the bright spot in a terrible T20I series for Australia in West Indies. Marsh enjoyed a dream series batting at number three, striking 219 runs in five T20Is at an average of 43.80 and strike rate of 152.08. He also took eight wickets.
• Eyes will be on Josh Philippe who has not made a mark in T20I cricket yet. He is set to open, which is his preferred position in this format. When opening, Philippe has struck 1,249 in 44 T20s at an average of 31.23 and strike rate of 136.80.
• Can Matthew Wade make an impact in the middle order? He has historically found it tough in positions four, five and six in T20s, scoring a total of 467 runs in 24 innings at an average of 19.45 and strike rate of 115.88 combined in these positions.
• Ashton Agar will be key in these conditions. He has come of age since the start of 2020, taking 22 wickets in 13 T20Is, including two five wicket hauls.
• Mitchell Starc was recently player of the series in the ODIs vs West Indies. If picked, he will be aiming to replicate such form at both crunch stages of the innings (powerplay and death overs). Starc took 1/25 in his only T20I vs Bangladesh to date, back in 2016.
• Adam Zampa was player of the match in Australia’s last T20I vs Bangladesh in 2016 (3/23).

Stats and Facts

• Australia have won all four T20Is against Bangladesh.
• This will be the first T20I between the two sides outside of T20 World Cups.
• Shakib Al Hasan needs five wickets to become the second men’s player to take 100 T20I wickets.
• Mitchell Starc needs two wickets to become the first Australian to 50 T20I wickets. Adam Zampa needs three to reach this mark.

Possible Playing 11

Liton Das, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim are all unavailable for Bangladesh. Also, Mustafizur Rahman is in doubt with injury.

Bangladesh: 1. Soumya Sarkar, 2. Mohammad Naim, 3. Shakib Al Hasan, 4. Mahmudullah (c), 5. Afif Hossain, 6. Shamim Hossain, 7. Nurul Hasan (wk), 8. Mohammad Saifuddin, 9. Mahedi Hasan/Nasun Ahmed, 10. Taskin Ahmed, 11. Mustafizur Rahman/Shoriful Islam

Matthew Wade said he will be batting in the middle order to try help Australia shore up that troublesome area of their game. The number four spot could be between Alex Carey (who has a poor T20I record) and Moises Henriques (who struggled in West Indies).

Also, it remains to be seen if Australia wish to play Mitchell Starc right away after he played all eight matches in the recent West Indies tour.

Australia: 1. Josh Philippe, 2. Ben McDermott, 3. Mitch Marsh, 4. Alex Carey, 5. Matthew Wade (c & wk), 6. Ashton Turner, 7. Dan Christian, 8. Ashton Agar, 9. Mitchell Starc/Nathan Ellis, 10. Adam Zampa, 11. Josh Hazlewood

Shere Bangla National Stadium Mirpur Dhaka Pitch Report and Weather

Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said that he expects a classic Dhaka pitch that won’t spin too much. That being said, expect the pitch to be on the slower side. Since 2019, the team batting first has won three of five T20 Internationals. In the recent Dhaka Premier League, the team batting first won the last three games of the tournament.

There are some thunderstorms forecast for Dhaka in this rainy season. However, according to AccuWeather, most of the rain will be in the morning with not much forecast for the evening. This game will begin at 6pm local time.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

A competitive match in the making here. It is Australia’s bowlers who hold the key in this one against a Bangladesh side missing a few key batsmen. For that reason, Australia will get the victory.