Records loom as 'crazy' series hits new scoring low

The man who has played more T20 games than any other Australian admits he has never seen conditions like the ones they have faced during the ongoing series against Bangladesh, which is on track to be the lowest scoring T20I series ever played.

Thanks in large part to Dan Christian's most significant contribution since returning to the green and gold, Australia broke their duck in the fourth T20 International with a tense three-wicket win on an immensely challenging Sher-e-Bangla Stadium pitch in Dhaka.

Unless there's a significant scoring uptick in Monday's fifth and final match at the same venue, the series will be the first ever consisting of at least three games that have had an overall run rate of less than six an over.

The combined rate for the series currently stands at 5.93.

It's also on track to be the fewest runs ever scored in a five-match T20 series between two major nations. Bangladesh and Australia have struck 936 runs in the first four games and the lowest aggregate in five-game campaign is 1,594 between the South Africa and West Indies earlier this year.

Of the 22 batsmen used in the series, only seven have a strike rate exceeding 100.

While the Aussies are the first to admit they have been outplayed in succumbing to their first ever series defeat in any format to Bangladesh, the conditions have called into question the relevance of the matches as preparation for the T20 World Cup.

That event is being held in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, which will be fresh off hosting the Indian Premier League, which has raised concerns that the volume of cricket played will also result in tired pitches late in the World Cup.

But Christian, who became the first Australian to hit five sixes in an T20I over in a match-winning hand on Saturday, suggested there is one main lesson the visitors have taken out of the series that's been played during the south-Asian country's monsoon season.

"It's pretty crazy cricket isn't it?" the 38-year-old, who has now played 356 T20s, told cricket.com.au.

"From a batting point of view, you can take the positive that it isn't going to get any harder than this.

"The World Cup, despite the month before it having the IPL being played on the same grounds, I cannot see the wickets being anywhere near as difficult to play T20 cricket on as what these ones are.

"Particularly somewhere like Sharjah where you play at nighttime and the dew comes in – it's a 220 (par score) kind of ground ... It's a completely different prospect playing over there.

"So I think our batsmen can certainly take some things from it.

"We've been able to practice a lot on difficult wickets as well and talk about different plans when you're coming up against someone who can turn as much as all their spinners are."

Christian, who was recalled for the third T20I after being overlooked for the opening two matches, flourished in an unusual role for Australia to snap a four-game losing streak in the format.

The journeyman allrounder has become highly sought after due to his finishing ability but the extremity of the spin-friendly surfaces and Australia's batting struggles in the preceding games saw him promoted up to No.3 as a pinch hitter.

The tactical shift proved the difference between the two sides, with his quick-fire 15-ball 39 breaking the back of the chase and allowing the Aussies to bat at a more achievable tempo to reel in their target of 105.

It was far from a cakewalk – a late cameo from Ashton Agar (27 off as many balls) and a stubborn nine not out from Ashton Turner got them over the line – but Christian's early onslaught meant the tourists were able to take fewer risks against Bangladesh's trump card, Mustafizur Rahman.

Christian labelled the left-armer "borderline unplayable", explaining that "it's like facing a really fast Rashid Khan" given the Bangladeshi's remarkable wrist-contorting off-cutter slower balls.

Rahman returned figures of 2-9 from four overs, the second consecutive game he has conceded fewer than 10 runs from his allocation, and Christian admits they are yet to find a strategy to counter him.

"We talked a lot about different plans tonight, leading into the game and whether you try to play him off the front foot or the back foot, hit him through the off side or hit him through the leg side," he said of Mustafizur, whose economy rate is at 3.56 for the series.

"The revs he gets on the ball, the variability in the pitch – you don't know what he's going to do so it's really hard to hit off the front foot because the odd one will turn and then the next one will bounce.

"We obviously still haven't worked it out because he only went at two an over tonight. It's pretty impressive bowling – he's certainly using the conditions to his advantage."

Qantas Tour of Bangladesh 2021

Australia squad: Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade (c), Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Tanveer Sangha.

Bangladesh squad: Mahmudullah (c), Soumya Sarkar, Naim Sheikh, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Shaif Uddin, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Rubel Hossain

(all matches at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka)

First T20: Bangladesh won by 23 runs

Second T20: Bangladesh won by five wickets

Third T20: Bangladesh won by 10 runs

Fourth T20: Australia won by three wickets

Fifth T20: August 9, 6pm (10pm AEST)