Mosaddek Hossain‘s comeback display after a four-year hiatus helped Bangladesh to a competitive 284 for 8 in the first ODI. Mosaddek reached his highest score in the format when he finished unbeaten on 86 in an innings where Australia‘s fielding was quite substandard.

The visitors dropped four catches, with Mosaddek getting the benefit on three occasions, while their ground fielding was quite shoddy. In the last over, Cameron Green under-armed a throw from deep square-leg which allowed Mosaddek back on strike when it should have been a single.

Mosaddek struck seven fours and three sixes in his 70-ball stay. He added 75 for the fifth wicket with Towhid Hridoy, and later another 45 for the eighth wicket with Taskin Ahmed.

Bangladesh made a bright start overall, but Nathan Ellis provided Australia with the early breakthrough. Saif Hassan was the first of his three wickets when Marnus Labuschagne took a superb catch diving to his right at second slip in the second over.

Tanzid Hasan, however, drove the ball powerfully, finding boundaries on a regular basis. The left-hander kicked things off with a superb straight drive, followed by a square drive over point.

Najmul Hossain Shanto struck Ellis for a first-ball straight driven boundary, before he charged the same bowler in his next over, taking him through mid-on. Shanto immediately got a life when the usually safe Labuschagne dropped him at second slip, a more regulation chance than the Saif catch. He was on 9.

Shanto and Tanzid then went on a boundary-hitting spree. Shanto was the more aggressive batter, charging the Australian seamers at every opportunity. Tanzid relied on his touch, but also drove down the ground, mainly from the crease. He also whipped Green off his hip for a six during the first powerplay. Shanto, meanwhile, went after debutant Liam Scott.

Even after the powerplay, Tanzid and Shanto found a boundary in almost every over, before the former reached his half-century off 41 balls.

Ellis put an end to Tanzid’s promising innings when he got him to drive hard at a slower ball, with Xavier Bartlett taking the simple catch at mid-on, as Tanzid fell for 54 off 44 balls.

Shanto continued to push on at a good pace as he reached his twelfth half-century in the 19th over. He was meeting the ball well down the wicket, even when the likes of Ellis or Bartlett pitched the ball short.

Litton Das fell for 7 in the 22nd over when Matt Renshaw held a high caught and bowled, showing great reflexes against the hard hit drive. Shanto also fell to the part-timer Renshaw, chipping him to long-off after he made 67.

Mosaddek looked like a man in form from his first ball. He is coming off a successful DPL campaign with Abahani Limited, and he launched Adam Zampa over long-off for his first boundary. Mosaddek took advantage of his first life after Cooper Connolly dropped him on 21. Thereafter, he slammed Bartlett’s slower ball through mid-off, before launching Renshaw for his second six. Substitute Ollie Peake let go of a chance when Mosaddek, batting on 38, lofted the ball to his right. Peake was perhaps a little slow on the move.

Mosaddek kept taking his chances and lofted Zampa towards deep cover where Scott ran hard to his right but couldn’t get to the ball.

Tawhid, meanwhile, fell for 31 when he misread Bartlett’s back-of-the-hand slower ball. The dismissal came shortly after hitting his only boundary in a 51-ball stay. Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz followed Hridoy shortly after, falling lbw to give Scott his first ODI wicket.

Mosaddek, though, rode out the twin blows as he went after Zampa in the 44th over. He struck two reverse hits cleanly, either side of a six over long-off with Matt Short unable to keep the ball away from the rope despite a superb, leaping effort.

Taskin helped out with couple of fours and a huge six over midwicket, in between which Zampa dropping Mosaddek on 73 when he spilled a simple chance at short third . It was emblematic of Australia’s time in the field, as they conceded a slightly above par total.