Connolly stars as Australia avoid Bangladeshi whitewash: 3rd ODI (Mirpur)

Cooper Connolly was the hero as Australia avoided a series whitewash with a dramatic one-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third ODI at Mirpur.

After winning the toss and batting first, Bangladesh posted a competitive 274/5, built around impressive innings from Litton Das (58), Towhid Hridoy (83) and Mosaddek Hossain (56). The hosts looked well placed after a strong finish, setting Australia a challenging target of 275.

Australia’s chase was dominated by a magnificent 149 from Cooper Connolly, who carried the batting despite little support from the rest of the lineup.

Bangladesh threatened an extraordinary comeback as Shoriful Islam ripped through the lower order to finish with career-best figures of 6/48, reducing Australia to 271/9 after Connolly’s dismissal. However, Adam Zampa struck the winning boundary with three balls remaining to seal a thrilling one-wicket win for the visitors, although Bangladesh still claimed the series 2-1.

Australia 277 for 9 (Connolly 149, Labuschagne 29, Shoriful 6-48) beat Bangladesh 274 for 5 (Hridoy 83, Litton 58, Mosaddek 56) by one wicket.

June 2026.