Bangladesh Eye Upset Against Australia After Near-Misses in World Cup

Bangladesh Eye Upset Against Australia After Near-Misses in World Cup


Buoyed by spirited performances against England and South Africa, Bangladesh will now look to spring a major surprise when they face defending champions Australia in their next group-stage clash of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025.

Despite being relatively new to the big stage—this being only their second appearance in an ODI World Cup—Bangladesh have already showcased their growth by pushing two tournament heavyweights to the brink. Their bowlers had England reeling in a modest chase of 178, and their batters laid a strong platform against South Africa, only for fielding errors and dew to undo the hard work.

With Australia up next, Bangladesh will need a flawless performance across all departments to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Currently sitting outside the top four, only a win against the world champions can revive their qualification bid.

Australia Wary but Confident

Australia, meanwhile, are yet to fully hit their stride with the bat despite four wins in five matches. Their campaign began with a pair of top-order collapses, but they found stability through strong middle-order performances, particularly from Annabel Sutherland, who picked up a five-wicket haul against India in their previous match. Alyssa Healy’s return to form also gives Australia confidence ahead of their clash with Bangladesh.

“We had a good series against them last year in Bangladesh,” said Sutherland. “It’s a pretty similar team and we’ve got good intel, which we’ll use to our advantage.”

Players to Watch

All eyes will be on Bangladesh’s young swing sensation Marufa Akter, who impressed early in the tournament but has struggled for rhythm in recent games. Her ability to bring the ball back in sharply will be key to dismantling Australia's top order.

On the other side, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield—who looked promising with a quickfire 40 against India—will aim to convert starts into a big score on a pitch known for rewarding batters.

Expected Line-ups

Australia (probable):
Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux/Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt

Bangladesh (probable):
Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), Shorna Akter, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya Khan, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter

Conditions and Venue

The surface in Visakhapatnam has produced high-scoring games, with swing early on and assistance for slower spinners who vary their pace. Dew could again play a decisive role, as it did in Bangladesh’s narrow loss to South Africa, making bowling second a challenging task.

Weather forecasts suggest a dry, humid day with no rain interruptions expected for Thursday’s encounter.

Stats Corner

  • Shorna Akter holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty by a Bangladeshi woman, off 34 balls.

  • Australia defeated Bangladesh 3-0 in an ODI series in Dhaka earlier this year.

  • Annabel Sutherland’s five-for against India was just the third for an Australian in Women’s World Cup history.

  • Alyssa Healy has three centuries in ODI World Cups, joint-most by an Australian alongside Meg Lanning and Karen Rolton.

Bangladesh Staying Positive

Despite consecutive losses, Bangladesh remain upbeat. “After the last match (against South Africa) there was no negative talk,” said batter Sobhana Mostary. “Everyone—senior, junior and the team management—focused only on the positives.”

Bangladesh will need to channel that optimism into performance if they are to topple the reigning champions and keep their World Cup dream alive.