Dan Christian, Australian batsman said the Dhaka wicket being used for the ongoing Twenty20 series against Bangladesh is “not spectacular”.
In another low-scoring game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Australia grabbed their first win on Saturday after losing the first three games to Bangladesh. The highest total so far is just 131.
Dan Christian Hits Career-Best 39 Runs As Ausy
Promoted at one-down, Dan Christian hit a career-best 39 off 15 balls and piled into star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan with five sixes off one over. However, despite Dan Christian’s explosive batting, Australia stuttered to knock off a meagre target of 104 runs and had to bat until the 19th over to claim victory.
“They have been exciting games for sure but I don’t think that’s why T20 was invented,” said Christian after Australia’s three-wicket win.
“Twenty20 was invented for sixes and lots of runs, in terms of that it certainly hasn’t been spectacular.”
Dan Christian scored 39 runs off 15 balls which included 1 four and 5 sixes. The home side made Australia sweat for a small target and when the chase subsided to 65 for 6 – with 30 of those runs coming when Dan Christian took Shakib Al Hasan for five sixes in an over – it looked like they could pull off an extraordinary victory.
However, Ashton Agar produced calm and clever innings to take Australia to the brink of the target alongside Ashton Turner.
It was not a game that Shakib Al Hasan will remember too fondly. Like most batsmen he could not get going, labouring to 15 off 26 balls after Bangladesh had made a relatively and deceptively brisk start. He was kept quiet by Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner and Andrew Tye before eventually falling when he tried to cut Josh Hazlewood.
With the ball, he responded well from going for 30 in one over but figures of 4-0-50-0 in a low-scoring match certainly stood out.
Dan Christian Hits 5 Sixes Off An Over Off Shakib Al Hasan
Dan Christian, the first Australian to hit five sixes off an over in a T20 international, still praised the competitiveness in the low-scoring series.
“It puts so much interest on every ball of the game, each boundary, trying to save one here it’s become so important. They can have such a big effect on the game,” he said.
Legspinner Mitchell Swepson claimed a career-best 3-12 as Australia ended its losing run in Bangladesh with a hard-fought three-wicket victory in the fourth Twenty20 on Saturday. Mitchell Swepson, one of the two changes by Australia, used his googly and quicker deliveries to perfection to limit Bangladesh to 104-9.
Dan Christian believes the wicket in Dhaka will not be ideal for his side’s preparation ahead of the World Twenty20 in the United Arab Emirates in October-November
“Having played a little bit in the UAE, say Sharjah, we get a bit dew at night time and it’s quite a small ground so 220 can be a winning score there.”
Australia will wrap up their tour with the fifth and final match of the series on Monday.
Dan Christian debuted in 2010 in T20I and 2012 in one-dayers for Australia and played his last matches in the first half of 2014.
In February 2010, he made his Twenty20 International debut against the West Indies and was a member of Australia’s squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. Dan Christian has played 19 ODIs and 16 T20Is and is only one of the six indigenous players to have featured at the international level for the country.
Australia 105 for 7 (Christian 39) beat Bangladesh 104 for 9 (Swepson 3-12, Tye 3-18) by three wickets