AUS VS BAN 1st ODI: Australia Women defeated Bangladesh Women by 118 runs in the first ODI to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match One Day International (ODI) series. The match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur Dhaka saw a spectacle as Alana King dropped one of the finest all-round performances in Women's cricketing history, as the Australian leg-spinner all-rounder scored a career high of an unbeaten 46 and recorded one of the measliest figures for any bowler bowling a full quota.
Alana King recorded the figures of 1/12 in her 10 overs which included three maiden overs and when the player was batting, she managed to struck 4 sixes in the final over, and ended up getting 29 runs off the over, which saw the reigning World Champions get past the 200-run mark.
Electing to bowl first, the hosts seemed to do justice to their decision as they managed to rattle the top order of the Australia Women, as the visitors had majority of their players coming off from a gruesome recently-concluded Women's Premier League 2024 in India.
Only captain Alyssa Healy and veteran Beth Mooney managed to record double figures, as the top order and the middle order consisting with the likes of WPL 2024 winner and 'Cricketer of the Decade' Ellyse Perry, alongside Phoebe Litchfield, and all-rounder Tahila McGrath were all back into the dugout even before the team's 50-run mark, as Australia were staring down at a barrel of hugeshock.
However, what makes the Australian team a class apart from the rest is their sheer resilience and brilliance in the most adverse and tense situations, and their lower order didn't disappoint, with Annabel Sutherland coming up with a solitary half-century of the match, alongside vital contributions from Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner.
Australia, then took advantage of the conditions, as the pitch started slowing down and the ball stayed low, and what followed later was yet another wrath from Australian Women, as they dismantled Bangladesh Women's batting order with high-quality bowling, and bundled them out within the double figures.