BAN vs AUS Chattogram Stadium - Pitch & Weather Report. PC- AFP
Australia changed their fortunes in the first T20I against Bangladesh, beating the hosts by four wickets in a low-scoring thriller at Chattogram on Wednesday.
After losing the first-ever ODI series to Bangladesh, the Aussies were spellbinding in the first match. As usual, spin favoured at Chattogram, with Adam Zampa, Joel Davies, Matt Renshaw and Nikhil Chaudhary sharing all ten wickets between them. Moreover, part-timer Renshaw bagged a world record in the last outing.
Chasing a paltry score of 132 runs, Australia lost six of their wickets, but Cooper Connolly, who scored his maiden century in the third ODI, was the difference-maker with his 27-ball 47. As a result, they chased down the target with 10 balls to spare.
As teams get set to clash again in Chattogram's Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Cricket Stadium, let us look at the Pitch and Weather Report for BAN Vs AUS 2nd T20I.
As scheduled, all three BAN vs AUS T20Is will be held in Chattogram. The pitch at the Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Cricket Stadium tends to favour spinners more, and with the game to be played in the afternoon, there will be no added advantage for teams batting second.
If there is any advantage, the team batting first will have better batting conditions, though the trend wasn't the same in the previous match.
The average first innings score for the venue is just 150 runs, which is way below par to today's standards. However, 150-160 runs is a winning score for T20I matches at Chattogram. Meanwhile, it drops to 133.25 in the second innings, making it difficult for the batters to score.
Statistically, pacers have snapped 59.57% of wickets in T20I matches at Chattogram. Whereas, 40.18% of wickets have been accounted for by spinners at the venue in the shortest format.
Unfortunately for fans, the Chattogram weather forecast for Friday (June 19) does not seem promising for a 20-over game. The probability of rain, according to AccuWeather, is 75%, with 88% cloud cover expected during the afternoon.
It is highly likely that we may lose overs in the BAN vs AUS 2nd T20I, and the result of the game could be decided on the DLS method. The temperature is predicted to be 31°C during the match hours.
Meanwhile, there is no expectation of thunderstorms, but we could witness broken intervals with spells of rain.
Conclusion
The game is a do-or-die fixture for the hosts, Bangladesh. However, Australia will the favourties to win this clash, as they have a massive lead of 7-4 in the head-to-head records.
If the rain gods have the final say and the proceedings of the match get chopped out, then pacers, especially Australian bowlers, will have the advantage.
Having said that, the team winning the toss will look to bowl first, given the result may be decided by calculators.
BAN vs AUS Chattogram Stadium - Pitch & Weather Report. PC- AFP
