Australia finishes with consolation win over Bangladesh

(MENAFN- Arab News) Dhaka: pre-tournament favorites australia finished their unimpressive world twenty20 campaign with a comfortable seven-wicket win over bangladesh in dhaka on tuesday

Openers aaron finch scored a 45-ball 71 and david warner knocked a fiery 35-ball 48 to help australia chase down a 154-run target in 17.3 overs in the super-10 group two match

Australia and hosts bangladesh had lost their first three matches and were playing for pride in a meaningless match with no bearing on semi-final positions

Finch and warner put on a solid 98-run opening wicket stand by the 12th over to quash any hopes of a win for bangladesh at a packed sher-e-bangla stadium

Finch smashed four sixes and seven boundaries before he was bowled by paceman al-amin hossain who finished with 2-30

Finch was also ruthless hitting three sixes and five boundaries before hossain bowled him with a beautiful delivery

Cameron white who made 18 not out hit a four and a six to seal the victory

Earlier bangladesh who batted after winning the toss were helped to 153-5 by shakib al hasan's 52-ball 66 for his fourth twenty20 fifty — the first from any bangladeshi batsman in the tournament

Shakib added 112 for the third wicket with skipper mushfiqur rahim (47) in a much improved batting display by the home team

The duo created a new bangladesh record for the third wicket in all twenty20 internationals beating the 109-run stand set by aftab ahmed and mohammad ashraful against the west indies at johannesburg in the 2007 world twenty20

Bangladesh lost openers anamul haque (naught) and tamim iqbal (five) in paceman nathan coulter-nile's first two overs leaving the repair work to the two most senior players of the team

Coulter-nile was the pick of australian bowlers with 2-17

Shakib hit five boundaries and three sixes before he fell to a brilliant catch by glenn maxwell off doug bollinger

Rahim matched his illustrious partner as he smashed five boundaries and a six off just 36 balls before he holed out off shane watson in the 17th over

Scoreboar

Bangladesh innings

T. iqbal c bollinger b coulter-nile

A. haque c watson b coulter-nile

S. al hasan c maxwell b bollinger 6

M. rahim c maxwell b watson 4

M. mahmudullah not out

N. hossain b starc 1

Extras: 1

Total (for 5 wkts 20 overs) 15

Fall of wkts: 1-4 2-12 3-124 4-133 5-153

Bowling: starc 4-0-25-1 (w2) coulter-nile 3-0-17-2 (w2) bollinger 4-0-31-1 watson 4-0-25-1 (w3 nb1) maxwell 3-0-32-0 (nb1) christian 2-0-17-0

Australia innings

A. finch c nasir b al amin 7

D. warner b al amin 4

C. white not out 1

G. maxwell b taskin

G. bailey not out 1

Extras:

Total: (for 3 wkts 17.3 overs) 15

Fall of wkts: 1-98 2-135 3-147

Bowling: gazi 4-0-35-0 al amin 3.3-0-30-2 (w1) shakib 3-0-36-0 taskin 4-0-24-1 (w1) razzak 2-0-16-0 mominul 1-0-14-0.