Dhaka: After a promising start with three consecutive victories, the Bangladesh High Performance (HP) team faced their first defeat in the Top End T20 tournament. Adelaide Strikers Academy bested them by 21 runs at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin. This match marked the first instance in the tournament where Bangladesh could not successfully chase a target, having previously triumphed over Nepal, Hobart Hurricanes, and Victoria CA while batting second.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Bangladesh HP opted to bowl first, leveraging their recent success in chasing. However, Adelaide Academy showcased a formidable batting performance, posting a total of 164-9. Despite pacer Abdul Gaffar Saqlain’s impressive 4-21 and spinner Mohammad Rubel’s 3-30, the Australian domestic team managed to cross the 150-run threshold. Opener Thomas Kelly led with a rapid 38 off 20 balls, including six boundaries, while Harry Hunter’s 35 and Noah McFadyen’s 31 contributed significantly to the total.
In response, Bangladesh HP experienced a shaky start, losing opener Jisan Alam for a first-ball duck. Habibur Rahman Sohan and Ariful appeared to stabilize the innings with calculated shots. However, Lachlan Bangs disrupted their momentum by dismissing Sohan, who scored 23, sparking a collapse that saw Bangladesh losing wickets at regular intervals. Despite Ariful’s valiant 66 off 54 balls, including five fours and two sixes, the team fell short. Only Shamim Patwari, with 18, managed to reach double digits alongside Ariful and Sohan. Bangs concluded with figures of 4-29, while Henry Thornton and Waheguru Dhillon took two wickets each.