Joel Davies shines on debut as Australia humble Bangladesh in 1st T20I

Australia’s 22‑year‑old debutant Joel Davies had a day to remember, claiming three wickets for just 17 runs as the visitors thumped Bangladesh by four wickets in the opening T20I to take a 1‑0 lead in the three‑match series. The Aussies also handed a debut cap to power‑hitter Nikhil Chaudhary, while Bangladesh introduced allrounder Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.

Bangladesh, led by Towhid Hridoy in the absence of injured skipper Litton Das, opted to bat first after winning the toss. The move backfired as their batters struggled against Australia’s spin attack. Only Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, and Mahedi Hasan managed to breach the 10-run mark, and the innings never found momentum.

Leg‑spinner Adam Zampa exploited the conditions brilliantly, returning figures of 3/18 from his four overs at an economy of 4.50. He dismissed Hridoy, Sarkar, and Shoriful Islam, with the latter’s wicket marking his 150th T20I scalp. Player of the Match (POTM) Zampa became the first Aussie to claim 150 T20I wickets.

Davies and Zampa bowled in tandem to dismantle Bangladesh’s middle order, while debutant Nikhil Chaudhary chipped in by removing Rishad Hossain. Off‑spinner Matt Renshaw also made an impact, picking up two wickets, Saif Hassan and Shamim Hossain, with his flighted deliveries.

In reply, Australia stumbled early, losing openers Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis with just 38 runs on the board inside 4.5 overs. But Cooper Connolly steadied the chase with a dazzling display of strokeplay, picking up right where he left off in the third ODI.

BOWLED HIM! Shoriful Islam rattles the stumps! Josh Inglis is clean bowled! pic.twitter.com/VchXkJ6vhO

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) June 17, 2026

The left‑hander counter‑attacked brilliantly, smashing 47 off just 27 balls at a strike rate of 174.07. His innings featured four boundaries and three sixes, easing Australia’s nerves before he eventually fell to debutant Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.

Contributions from Tim David (18), Matt Renshaw (18), and Nikhil Chaudhary (18) provided further momentum, though none managed to convert their starts into something bigger. Ultimately, it was Xavier Bartlett who sealed the win, striking a first‑ball boundary in the 19th over to take Australia home with 10 balls to spare.

Saqlain was the pick of all the Bangladesh bowlers. He finished with figures of 2/32.