(ESPNCRICINFO) – Bangladesh marched to an unassailable 3-0 lead to register their first series win against Australia across formats by defending 128 in a close finish during the third T20I in Dhaka. While Mahmudullah led from the front by scoring 52 and batting deep to ensure the hosts had some firepower left late in the innings, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan and Nasum Ahmed combined to apply the brakes on Australia’s run chase. Debutant Nathan Ellis’ hat-trick went in vain for the visitors, for whom Mitchell Marsh continued his fine form and contributed 51, while Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa chipped in with the ball.

The Fizz delivers again
Rahman followed figures of 2 for 16 and 3 for 23 in the series with an exceptional return of 0 for 9 from his four overs. In what was the joint second-most economical effort for a Bangladesh bowler in a completed spell, Rahman turned the game around when he conceded just a single in the 19th over of the Australia innings when they needed an entirely possible 23 from 12 balls with Alex Carey and Dan Christian at the crease.
Two of his overs had been reserved for the death, and Mahmudullah brought him on for the 17th with the game still in Australia’s hands and Marsh on 49. Rahman utilised the slower ball to good effect and kept it tight to both Marsh and Carey, denying them a free swing of the arms.
Before that, he had given away just three singles in the final over of the powerplay, mostly bowling at the stumps and with the pace off, with Marsh first dabbing uncomfortably before being beaten off the last ball of the over.

The captain stands tall
Mahmudullah promoted himself up to No. 4, but was forced to start off cautiously after Bangladesh lost two early wickets on a slow pitch. He was on 11 off 17 balls – seven of those had come off singles – when he decided to go big.
When Marsh pitched one in the slot on off, he swung to find the gap between long-on and deep midwicket for his first boundary, which was in the eighth over of the innings. Mahmudullah chose to play anchor and bat deep, with all of Shakib, Afif Hossain and Nurul Hossain departing after playing cameos.
He was still not striking at a run-a-ball when he lofted Ellis over cover for four, after which only two overs of the Bangladesh innings remained. But with time running out, Mahmudullah chose to go after Hazlewood, whose short-of-a-length ball he scooped in the 19th over to try and push the scoring. He then brought up his fifty off 52 deliveries in the final over when he swung one down to deep square leg, before falling to Ellis’ next ball.

Hat-trick on international debut
Ellis started by conceding eight in his first over, although a boundary came off a top edge from Shakib’s bat. Wade then replaced him, but Ellis returned with Bangladesh at 60 for 3 after the first half of the innings. He was taken off yet again after conceding 11, with Afif pulling him for a boundary this time.
Three overs were left – both Zampa and Agar were bowled out and Hazlewood had only one to go – as Ellis’ captain trusted him to deliver at the death. But an over-and-a-half later, Mahmudullah had lofted and pulled him for two fours.
That is when it all turned around for the debutant. First, he hit back with a very full ball on off, as the Bangladesh captain missed his leg-side heave and the ball crashed into the stumps. Next ball, the tail-ender Mustafizur found Marsh at deep midwicket.
Ellis had the hat-trick ball against another lower-order batter in Mahedi Hasan, who pulled straight to deep square leg, as he suddenly finished with 3 for 34 after going wicketless until the last three balls of the Bangladesh innings.