Pat Cummins grabbed the wickets of Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, and Towhid Hridoy in consecutive deliveries over two overs.
Pat Cummins had bagged a hat-trick as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 140-8 in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash in Antigua on Thursday. Cummins had grabbed the wickets of Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, and Towhid Hridoy in consecutive deliveries over two overs as Australia’s bowlers produced a disciplined performance to contain the Bangladeshis at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound. Cummins, restored to the starting line-up, finished with figures of 3-29 off four overs while spinner Adam Zampa also impressed with 2-24.
Cummins was only the second Australian and seventh overall to take a hat-trick in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, became the most prolific bowler in the history of white-ball cricket with his 95th World Cup wicket after trapping Tanzid Hasan in the opening over.
Starc’s early breakthrough had seen him pull one clear of Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga, setting the tone for Australia’s bowlers after captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl.
Australia’s bowlers had kept Bangladesh on the back foot after Starc’s opening wicket, with restored Josh Hazlewood opening his spell with a maiden.
Another tidy over from Starc had left Bangladesh with just eight runs off the first three overs, although Najmul Hossain Shanto had signaled a more aggressive approach with a six off Hazlewood to start the fourth over.
Litton Das had lashed a pair of boundaries off Starc in the fifth over as Bangladesh’s run rate had ticked up to 5.40 runs per over at 27-1.
But the introduction of Zampa had slowed the Bangladesh batting, and the Aussie spinner had soon had Das bowled out after tempting him to sweep in the ninth over to leave Bangladesh at 58-2.
Glenn Maxwell had struck next in the 10th over, Rishad Hossain caught by Zampa at short third man for two as Bangladesh had reached the halfway stage of the innings on 67-3.
Shanto’s dismissal by Zampa for 41 in the 13th over had slammed the brakes on for Bangladesh, leaving them on 84-4 before Cummins had ripped through the lower order to leave Australia a target of 141 to win.
