Tigers on verge of making history

Bangladesh will stand on the verge of history when they take on the visitors in the third T20I at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

Although they were yet to register a single T20I win over Australia going into the five-match series, the Tigers are now in the box seat and chasing a first series win against Australia in any format after winning the opening two games.

A 23-run victory in the first T20I was followed up by a comprehensive five-wicket win in the second against an Australian side whose batting prowess has been dented in the absence of key players like David Warner, Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis.

However, for a relatively inexperienced Bangladesh side, who are also missing key players like Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, it was the youngsters who stood and delivered in the first two matches.

While there has not been any individual brilliance in the batting department yet, Bangladesh's bowling department remained compact and top-notch in the first two games.

Youngsters like Afif Hossain, Shoriful Islam, newcomer Nasum Ahmed and 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan have been pivotal in complementing the efforts of a handful of experienced players like Shakib Al Hasan, skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and Mustafizur Rahman in the Tigers' squad.

Bangladesh would like the same combo to work in today's game as well while eyeing to better their performances with the bat, which have been middling till now.

A 131-run total in the first game and a successful chase of a 122-run target in the second T20I might have been enough to beat the Aussies, but the batting display in both the games left a lot to be desired, especially in a series considered part of preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup.