Australia set sights on ODI whitewash in Dhaka

Australia's top-order will get another opportunity to test themselves in challenging conditions when the third and final ODI is played on Wednesday

Ellyse Perry is relishing her crash course in Bangladesh conditions, as she and her teammates continue a fact-finding mission they hope will land them a T20 World Cup four-peat.

Australia will have an ODI series whitewash in their sights when they meet Bangladesh in Wednesday’s third and final ODI in Dhaka.

Despite comprehensive wins in the first two matches, by 118 runs and six wickets respectively, Australia’s top-order have been made to work hard, with No.7 Annabel Sutherland the only batter to pass fifty so far.

Perry scored an unbeaten 35 as she steered Australia to a small target of 98 in the second one-dayer, and said she had found the conditions more difficult than those she remembered from her previous visit to Bangladesh during the 2014 T20 World Cup.

"I certainly don't remember it being so conducive to spin and potentially slow as the wickets have been here this time around," Perry said from Dhaka on Tuesday.

"It's hard to know exactly what will happen for the World Cup but it's definitely been a really great opportunity for us as a team to come over here and experience it.

"Not just the wickets and the way that the cricket is going, but just being on the ground here and how to best operate.

"We're really enjoying the opportunity to see a country that we haven't toured a lot either."

Australia and Bangladesh will meet in three T20Is following the last one-dayer, and those games will give the tourists a better idea of how they can go about playing their naturally attacking 20-over game in the local conditions.

The T20 World Cup will be staged in Bangladesh in September and October, and Australia will hope to continue their winning run after taking out the 2018, 2020 and 2023 titles.

"Tricky is definitely the word we've used," Perry said of the batting conditions.

"I think it's been a great learning opportunity for us, especially we've played a lot of cricket this summer at home on pretty hard, fast decks (and) in the Women’s Premier League the wickets were very much conducive to T20 cricket so they were pretty flat most of the time.

"It's been a real change of pace for the batters, and needing to adapt to that I think only helps you to develop new skills.

"And just being able to switch between mindsets as well is going to be really important."

Australia played four spinners in Sunday’s second one-dayer to great success, with the quartet taking 9-77 between them.

That formula is unlikely to change, but the tourists could consider bringing Tayla Vlaeminck in for her first game in the green and gold since 2022, should they wish to manage the workload of Megan Schutt.

CommBank Tour of Bangladesh

First ODI: Australia won by 118 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by six wickets

March 27: Third ODI, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (2:30pm AEDT)

March 31: First T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

April 2: Second T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

April 4: Third T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck

Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Fargana Hoque, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Disha Biswas, Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi, Farzana Akter, Rabeya Khan