Bangladesh v Australia, 2nd Test: Australia Player Ratings

Australia has won the second Test match at Chittagong by 7 wickets and put up a strong performance in the sub-continent after some time. Nathan Lyon spun a web around the Bangladeshi batsmen and scalped as many as 13 wickets out of 20. The hosts once again opted to bat first after winning the toss on a flat track. But could only muster 305 as Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman scored half-centuries. In reply, Aussies rode on David Warner’s magnificent ton, second in consecutive innings and took a 72 runs lead.

Bangladesh, in the second innings never looked convincing as they again succumbed to the off-spin of Lyon. The hosts were bowled out for a paltry total of 157 and set a target of 86 runs for the visitors. Australia chased down the target with ease albeit, with 3 wickets down which indicates that had Bangladesh batted a little better in their second essay and taken a lead of over 150, a different outcome was possible. Nathan Lyon was adjudged Man of the Match for his magnificent spell of bowling in both the innings.

Let us take a look at Australia Player Ratings for the second Test match:

David Warner- 8.5/10

David Warner certainly proved himself a tough nut to crack in this series. He was the only batsman to score a century in the series and he crossed the landmark twice and rightfully adjudged the Man of the series. In the first Test match, his counter attacking almost won Australia the game. But the way he applied himself on a tricky wicket was absolutely brilliant. He carried that confidence to Chittagong and scored 123 runs in the first innings which comprised of just 7 boundaries and was a display of his patience and grit. He was out cheap in the second innings but there was little to be done for them to win the game.

Matt Renshaw- 4/10

The left-handed batsman Matt Renshaw had a mediocre series compared to the tour of India a few months ago. He could not apply himself in either of the innings of this match. In the first innings, he was scalped by a delivery down the legside where the opposition skipper took a blinder to send him packing and then while chasing a small total could not see his side through. He would want to sort out the issues in his technique and game soon as the Ashes is fast approaching.

Steve Smith – 7/10

Steve Smith should feel he missed out on putting up a big score twice in this series. In the first innings he looked set for a long innings but was foxed by Taijul Islam with a straighter one. Though, he played an important knock when Renshaw was dismissed early in reply to Bangladesh’s 305. In the second innings he was sent packing again by the same bowler for 16 and looked in a hurry to finish the game. He led the team admirably well after being 0-1 down in the series. He earned an extra rating for his excellent captaincy.

Peter Handscomb – 8/10

Handscomb played a huge role for Australia in this game. He stitched a 152-run stand with Warner in testing conditions which tilted the game in favour big time. He was assured about his footwork and was getting to the pitch of the ball to be in a better position to face it. Handscomb was, unfortunately, run-out on 82 but didn’t miss a chance to finish the game in the second innings as he remained unbeaten on 16. He was standing at short leg throughout the series and did a decent job snaffling some tough catches.

Glenn Maxwell – 5/10

The attacking right-hander had a golden opportunity to seal his place for the Ashes but the all-rounder missed it. He looked good with his technique but was guilty of throwing away the start. In the first inning, he could have given Australia the decisive advantage but lost his wicket on 38 flashing at the delivery outside the off-stump. In the second innings, he didn’t miss out on a chance to finish the game, score the winning runs and played his natural game to end up with a quickfire 25*.

Hilton Cartwright – 3/10

Cartwright, who was included in the side at the expense of Usman Khawaja, could not justify his place either. He bowled 5 ordinary overs in the first innings and did not pick up any wicket. When the team needed him to bat, the 25-year-old looked all at sea against spin and was eventually dismissed on 18 by Mehidy Hasan. It would be interesting to see how the team plays along with him in the future.

Matthew Wade – 5/10

The gloveman was excellent behind the wickets affecting as many as 6 dismissals. Three of them were stumpings that were absolutely superb. All the 5 ratings are for his wicketkeeping exploits as he was also played a key part in the DRS calls Australia made in the match. But the left-hander failed with the bat once again and could only score 8 runs. Surely, his batting needs to improve which didn’t look good at all in this series.

Ashton Agar – 6/10

The left arm spinner Ashton Agar bowled well in this series. He made good use of his height and bowled in good areas. He snaffled the key wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain who were threatening to score a lot more. His first innings figures read: 23-9-52-2 which shows he kept check on the runs as well. Agar supported Lyon well from the other end when the off-spinner was probing throughout. He was also useful with the bat and scored a useful 22 which gave his side a crucial lead of 72.

Pat Cummins – 5/10

Pat Cummins once again bowled his heart out and had the venom in his bowling every time he came on to bowl a new spell. On the first day, he looked drained in the heat but kept going. He could not scalp any wicket in the first innings but came back well in the second and picked Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim which broke the back of the hosts. He was the only seamer in the team and did exactly what was expected of him.

Nathan Lyon – 10/10

The off-spinner Nathan Lyon was absolutely magnificent in this match. On a pitch where the host’s spinners found it tough to bowl, he ran through their lineup like a pro he was expected to be. He took 7 wickets in the first innings and 6 in the second and wreaked havoc in the Bangladesh camp. He read the pitch perfectly and bowled accordingly. Bangladesh batsman literally huffed and puffed while playing him. He finished the series with a whopping 22 wickets and propelled Australia to level the series.

Steve O’Keefe – 5/10

Australia’s hero is Pune against India, Steve O’Keefe, came back into the side amidst all the speculations of being ignored for the series. He was erratic in the first innings and provided Bangladesh with a lot more freebies but found his rhythm in the second innings. He was accurate with his line and length and bowled with the pace that suited the wicket. He scalped 2 wickets in the innings and bowled in tandem with Lyon beautifully.