Australia clinched the three-match T20I series with one match in hand after they beat Bangladesh by seven runs in the second T20I at the Bir Shreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram on Friday.

Chasing a record 197, Bangladesh were restricted to 189-6, with Saif Hassan top-scoring with 42 off 33, despite maintaining control for the first half of the innings.

Bangladesh required 75 runs from the last 48 balls with eight wickets in hand; however, a few untimely wickets along with some tight bowling from the visitors dashed their hope.

This was the joint second-highest score for Bangladesh at home in a losing cause.

Two openers made a blazing start for Bangladesh as they accumulated 42 runs from the first three before Tanzid Hasan fell for 30 off 15, handing Matt Renshaw yet another wicket.

However, Bangladesh kept motoring along, thanks to Saif and Soumya Sarkar, before Adam Zampa struck to remove the latter.

Parvez Hossain came and started in fifth gear, hitting two fours and three sixes in his 36 off 22, while adding 53 runs with Saif for the third wicket.

But they fell in quick succession as Bangladesh started to lose the plot. Mitchell Marsh took two well-judged catches, from the bowling of Aaron Hardie and Joel Davies, respectively.

Shamim Hossain soon holed out without making an impact, as the required run rate climbed to 14.

With 18 required in the last three balls, Hridoy struck a six and a four before running out of gas on the last ball. The stand-in captain made 35 from 22.

Earlier, three wickets inside the powerplay kept Australia in check, as they scored 44 runs in the first six overs after opting to bat first.

Josh Inglis was trapped lbw by Nasum Ahmed, who replaced Mahedi Hasan, before two spectacular catches from Saif off Nahid Rana and Mustafizur Rahman helped to remove Cooper Connolly and Marsh, respectively.

However, Australia bossed the middle phase thanks to a 97-run partnership from 50 balls between Matt Renshaw and Tim David. They hammered absolutely everything from slower to cutters, from spin to pace, hitting eight sixes and four fours.

Bangladesh struck back with two quick wickets, as Abdul Gaffar Saqlain removed David for his first, while Nasum had Nikhil Choudhury for his second lbw of the innings.

That halted Australia’s progress a bit as the next three overs yielded 24 runs. However, Renshaw, who earlier survived twice, both off the bowling of Nahid, remained unbeaten.

Australia managed 18 runs off the last over by Mustafiz, while Saqlain gave away 53 runs.