AUSTRALIA will enter the semi-finals of the One Day International (ODI) World Cup on a high, after Mitch Marsh powered the side to a strong win over Bangladesh on Saturday night.

Marsh was an unstoppable force at the crease as the Aussies pulled off their first ever successful run chase of a score over 300. It marked the culmination of a terrific turnaround for Australia, overcoming a slow start to the tournament to book a semi-final spot against South Africa later this week.

The ‘Bison’ smacked a whopping 177 (not out) off 132 deliveries, marking a return to form after some underwhelming performances with the bat. The West Australian formed a match-winning partnership with Steve Smith (63 not out) to lead the Aussies to their best-ever run chase at ODI level, and sending an ominous warning to the remainder of the finalists.

The Aussies won the toss and elected to bowl, backing their quicks (despite the absence of Mitchell Starc) to get the better of Bangladesh’s batting lineup. However, Australia struggled to find the first breakthrough, with openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das quickly moving to a 76-run partnership. Finally, Sean Abbott got the breakthrough, forcing Hasan into a powerless chip shot that was caught and bowled.

However, it was far from a collapse from Bangladesh, with the likes of Towhid Hridoy (74 runs) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (45 runs) producing solid performances. The first seven of the team’s batsmen registered 21 runs or more, making Australia’s second innings task even tougher. The Aussies got back in the game after some excellent fielding from Marnus Labuschagne produced a pair of run-outs with his excellent recovery, both of which were crucial in the context of the match.

Bangladesh finished its innings with a score of 8/306 from 50 overs, a positive sign given Australia had never chased down a score that large in the past, meaning the Aussies would have to make history to pull off the win.

Things did not exactly start well for Australia, with opener Travis Head bowled after attempting smash a delivery down the ground. However, David Warner (53) steadied things with another solid outing, before Marsh and Smith took over.

Marsh whacked a whopping 26 boundaries, including nine sixes, showing aggression at the crease from the onset with 26 runs in his first 11 balls. The All-Rounder posted his second century of the tournament after hitting triple-figures against Pakistan a few weeks earlier. It was a classic display of power hitting, as Marsh took full advantage of Bangladesh’s heavy use of spin and saw the deliveries as beach balls at times.

Smith showed his absence for a bout of vertigo last match is truly in the rear view mirror, delivering his most promising performance at the crease. If he can keep this rolling into next game, it will give Australia a huge boost heading into the finals.

Australia will take on South Africa in the semi finals, with the first ball to be bowled at 7:30pm AEST.

Australia 2/307 (44.4) def. Bangladesh 9/306 (50)

FIRST INNINGS

Bangladesh – Hridoy 74 (79), Shanto 45 (57), Hasan 36 (134)
Australia – Zampa 2/32 (10), Abbott 2/61 (10), Stoinis 1/45 (9)

SECOND INNINGS

Australia – Marsh 177 (132), Smith 63 (64), Warner 53 (61)
Bangladesh – Ahmed 1/61 (10), Rahman 1/76 (9.4)