Aussies whitewash Bangladesh

Cricket365
May 16, 2011

Mike Hussey's century finished what Shane Watson's flier started as Australia amassed a whopping score and then had their bowlers wrap up a four-wicket win.

Mike Hussey's century finished what Shane Watson's flier started as Australia amassed a whopping score and then had their bowlers wrap up a four-wicket win and three-nil ODI series triumph over Bangladesh in Dhaka on Wednesday.

With all of 361 runs to play with, Mitchell Johnson (three for 67) and fellow seamers were always on the front foot despite a spirited pursuit by the home side.

Tamim Iqbal's usual hopeful blaze of glory across 32 runs from 17 balls flattered to deceive, while knocks of 60 and 68 from Shahriar Nafees and Mohammad Mahmudullah respectively were never going to cause the Australians alarm unless converted to three figures and Imrul Kayes' 93 from 95 balls was all too pedestrian to have his side in the hunt.

Johnson, Watson and debutant James Pattinson struck with enough regularity to keep the skids under their hosts and, with Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim unable to even make it into double figures, the inevitable beckoned relatively early and the Tigers eventually ran out of steam – and overs – at 295 for six.

Earlier Man of the Match Hussey's lengthy vigil and Watson's flier saw Australia fetch a fat 361 for eight.

Watson, who on Monday tonked a record 15 sixes en route to a whirlwind 185 not out in the second ODI, once again stepped to the crease in a typically aggressive mood to plank 72 from 40 balls, with 11 fours an three sixes making up the bulk of his blitzkrieg.

At 110 for zip inside the first dozen overs the writing was certainly on the wall and 47 apiece from captain Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting further paved the way for Hussey's walk in the park across the middle overs.

While the promotion of Steven Smith up the order, Callum Ferguson's selection ahead of Cameron White and Tim Paine's entry into the starting XI all failed to pay off, Hussey well and truly cashed in.

Starting with characteristic measure before tucking into a string of calculated hitting against a gaggle of weak slow bowlers and ineffective seamers, the veteran left-hander eventually landed three figures – his third ODI ton – in 86 balls.

With the big-hitting services of Mitchell Johnson (41) along for the ride, Australia's quest for a 300-plus total was always on the cards and once the beefy all-rounder had wielded a quartet of fours and a couple of sixes and John Hastings (21 not out) had weighed in with a late-order cameo, nothing less than 350 would suffice for Clarke and company.

Shafiul Islam, the most costly bowler of the day by a Country Mile, eventually bagged a token scalp when he removed a tired Hussey for 108, while the expensive Mashrafe Mortaza and Al Hasan were left with little consolation in their three wickets each.