DHAKA : Bangladesh will aim to salvage some pride and 
avoid a series whitewash when they take on Australia in the third and final 
T20 International at Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman 
Stadium in Chattogram tomorrow (Sunday).

The match is scheduled to begin at 2 PM local time.

Having already secured the series with victories in the first two matches, 
Australia lead the three-match contest 2-0. The visitors won the opening game 
by four wickets before edging Bangladesh by seven runs in a closely fought 
second encounter.

Bangladesh entered the T20 series with high expectations after clinching the 
preceding ODI series 2-1 against Australia. However, they have failed to 
replicate that success in the shortest format.

The hosts' batting struggled in the first match, while an improved 
performance in the second game still proved insufficient. 

Chasing a challenging target, Bangladesh raced to 72-1 in the first six 
overs, their highest Powerplay score against Australia in T20 internationals 
but lost momentum during the middle overs and eventually fell short.

Stand-in captain Towhid Hridoy said the team had identified areas that needed 
improvement and remained confident of ending the series on a positive note.

"We played really good cricket, but there are a couple of areas we need to 
develop," Hridoy said.
 
"Those who are set need to carry on a little bit more for the team. Whenever 
someone gets set, they need to play bigger innings. We have to chase this 
kind of match, otherwise we face disappointment. However, we believe we can 
overcome."

Bangladesh will again be without regular captain Liton Das, who was ruled out 
of the entire series due to injury. The hosts could make changes to their 
playing XI, with pace bowler Taskin Ahmed likely to replace leg-spinner 
Rishad Hossain, who has struggled in the series.

Australia, meanwhile, have bounced back strongly from their ODI series 
defeat. The T20 triumph has also provided some measure of redemption 
following their 4-1 series loss to Bangladesh in 2021.

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh expressed satisfaction with his side's 
performance but insisted they remained focused on completing a clean sweep.

"Obviously, we were really keen to win this series, and to wrap it up after 
two games is really pleasing for our side," Marsh said.

"It's obviously nice to win, but there's still one more game to go for us."

Australia are expected to rotate their squad after sealing the series. 
Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe and left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann are yet 
to feature on the tour and could be given opportunities in the final match.

The two sides have met 13 times in T20 internationals, with Australia winning 
nine matches and Bangladesh four. All four Bangladesh victories came during 
their memorable 4-1 home series win over Australia in 2021.

Squad

Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Shamim 
Patwari, Towhid Hridoy (Captain), Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum 
Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid 
Rana, Abdul Gaffar Saqlain and Soumya Sarkar.

Australia: Mitchell Marsh(captain), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper 
Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, 
Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, 
Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw and Adam Zampa.