Riley Meredith has been drafted back into the 50-over setup for Australia against Bangladesh as a surprise selection call in Dhaka for this second ODI, with his last 50-over outing coming five years ago. That came after Australian skipper Josh Inglis won the toss and decided to bat first on a green pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
It was unexpected that Meredith added to the squad for ODI only on the morning of the match. The pacer, who was already in Bangladesh for the T20I series, was immediately added to the playing XI as Australia sought greater pace and aggression into their side.
Australia omitted all-rounder Liam Scott, who had made his international debut in the opening ODI, to accommodate Meredith. This shows the visitors want to try out combinations while still being competitive in the series.
The Australian camp also made a couple of other headlines, with Marnus Labuschagne sliding down the batting order. The selector himself, on the back of a dismal patch in the previous outings assaying was No. 7 listed for bat for the middle-order batter, Labuschagne gets to play more of a finisher’s role while relieving some of the burden.
Bangladesh, too, extended the freedom of experimenting with their line-up by introducing Soumya Sarkar as an opener. He comes in place of Saif Hassan, who has yet to find his footing in ODIs. The hosts will hope Sarkar’s experience offers more stability and impetus at the top of the powerplay.
The pitch for the second ODI mercilessly offered contrasting conditions from that used during the series opener, which prompted Australia’s decision to bat first. The visitors would look to put up a competitive total and put the pressure on the home team.
This edition is sure to be an important contest, with the teams trying to catch up on momentum in the series – new faces, tactical changes, and a speedy comeback from a pace bowler – all offer. Dhaka is already a vital meeting between the two, but Meredith’s long-awaited returns adds an extra layer of intrigue.
