The Asian journey continues - Month number 6 and Australia are still in Asia! Well, not all, but quite a few of them have been playing a lot of cricket in the Asian subcontinent. It began in January, as a precursor warm-up type for the T20 World Cup, when the Aussies embarked on a 3-match T20I tour of Pakistan. That was followed by a trip to Sri Lanka to play the World Cup, and unfortunately, could not progress to play in India for the same tournament, as they got knocked out in the first round itself. But then came the IPL on Indian shores and the next 2 months went over there only. Further, they returned to Pakistan to complete their white-ball tour of January, this time for a longer version of ODIs. And finally, they come to the last stop, a 6-match white-ball tour of Bangladesh. Dare we say, this might be their biggest trek in Asia ever! Easier series? Don't even think about it. If you are looking at the rankings and sum up that okay, number 9 is hosting a number 3, then let's just remind you that just like age, ranking is just a number. You can just cast a look back at Sunday's French Open final and marvel at how a lower-ranked player took Sasha Zverev to the hilt. Sticking to cricket, Bangladesh have not lost an ODI series at home since 2024. The opponents have been Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand. Enough data to say that the Tigers are roaring in their own habitat. Kangaroos hopping out? Well, that's what it seems like.No Mitchell Marsh (ankle injury).No Travis Head (personal reasons).No Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood (workload management). Plainly put, with ultimate respect, this seems like an impoverished Aussie side, leading to a foregone conclusion of another Bangla home win. Talking about the hosts themselves, they look strong as ever, especially at home, with the likes of skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das in impeccable form. Additionally, after a fairly indifferent past few months, Mustafizur Rahman is finding his mojo back while Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam are growing in stature. And yes, don't forget Nahid Rana, who is quickly becoming an all-format star. Another spin test? The temptation would be really high. After watching The Team In Yellow fizz out against spin in Pakistan, that too, against newcomers, Bangladesh would be tempted to put them further under mire. So don't be surprised if you get a Benson and Burner's deck. Batting first has been significantly tough in this country and now, with the matches being shifted to daytime to save electricity, the essence of spin and slowing down of the decks is even more pronounced. However, Bangladesh themselves have shown that if you have quality, battle the conditions early on and spend some time on the wicket, you can produce big scores. Does Australia's so-called bench possess that quality? From what we have seen so far, not just in alien conditions but even at home, it has primarily been the seniors who have been contributing. So in terms of seniority for this series, there will be added responsibility on the likes of Josh Inglis, Matthew Short, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa, but it is also another opportunity for the juniors to show that they can belong at this level. 2011 - The last time Australia toured Bangladesh for an ODI series. They played a Test series in 2017 and a T20I series in 2021, but it will be fair enough to say that 2011 was the last occasion when a full-strength Aussie side played cricket on these shores. One can understand Bangladesh being miffed about oppositions not sending full-strength sides to their country (New Zealand too, sent a second-string side), but that cannot be their problem. You play the sport, not the opposition. A perk awaiting them is a 2-match Test tour of Australia, later this year, their first ever down Under since 2003. So not just a series win here, but a whitewash might force teams across the world to take the so-called 'Asian minnows' a bit more seriously. And what is now a one-off series here and there in other countries might become a full-fledged tour in the coming future. Respite from the heat? It seems like the whole world is suffering a heat wave. However, the forecast for Tuesday in Mirpur shows early morning showers and a few intermittent ones in the afternoon. While that might interrupt the game and we might be in danger of a shortened contest, it could give the players some much-needed respite from the heat.
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