Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first, but Bangladesh did well to put up a competitive 306/8 on the board as Towhid Hridoy smashed 74 off 79 balls. The Aussies, however, raced home in 44.4 overs as Marsh went berserk with the bat, while David Warner (53 off 61) and Steven Smith (63 not out off 64) chipped in with half-centuries.
Bangladesh got off to an impressive start with the bat as their openers added 76 at a swift pace. However, Tanzid Hasan (36) and Litton Das (36) both fell after getting starts. Tanzid gave a return catch to Sean Abbott, while Das was caught at long-on off Adam Zampa’s bowling. Stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (45) and Hridoy then added 64 for the third wicket.
The third-wicket stand ended when Shanto was run out attempting a risky second. Hridoy and Mahmudullah (32 off 28) then added 44 for the fourth wicket. However, Mahmudullah was also run out attempting a non-existent run as Bangladesh gave away their wickets to Australia.
Hridoy’s fine knock, which featured five fours and two sixes, ended when he was caught at deep midwicket off a Marcus Stoinis full toss. Mushfiqur Rahim (21) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29) chipped in as Bangladesh crossed the 300-run mark.
In the chase, Australia lost Travis Head (10) cheaply again as he dragged a delivery from Taskin Ahmed onto his stumps. Warner and Marsh added 120 for the second wicket before the former chipped a catch off Mustafizur Rahman to mid-on.
Marsh dominated the Australian innings, clubbing 17 fours and nine sixes in his stupendous knock. He got good support from Smith, who compiled a crucial half-century. The duo featured in an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 175. Smith struck four fours and a six in his innings. The former Australian captain also hit the winning runs, lofting Mustafizur over mid-on for four.
Australia will now meet South Africa in the second semi-final of the 2023 World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, November 16.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
