Australia unbeaten at T20 World Cup as Wareham and Lanning rock Bangladesh

Georgia Wareham’s 3-20 and Meg Lanning’s unbeaten 48 off 49 balls handed defending champions Australia an emphatic eight-wicket win over Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup.

Wareham, returning to Australia’s XI for the first time in nearly 16 months due to injuries, helped restrict Bangladesh to 107-7 after they opted to bat in slightly overcast conditions at St George’s Park on Tuesday.

Opener Beth Mooney fell for just two runs – to follow her duck against New Zealand – in pursuit of the below-par target, but Lanning and Alyssa Healy’s second-wicket 69-run stand then set up the successful chase.

While Healy fell for 37 off 36 balls, Ashleigh Gardner, who had landed a $558,000 payday at the Women’s Premier League auction on match eve, remained unbeaten on 19 off 20 balls. The 25-year-old allrounder sealed the chase with a four with 10 balls to spare.

The win against Bangladesh took Australia to the top of the Group 1 table with four points from two games.

Wareham, the 23-year-old legspinner, was Australia’s only change in the XI from their tournament-opening win against New Zealand in Paarl. She replaced left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen in the line-up, the change apparently down to selection decisions alone and not injury-forced.

Introduced in the eighth over, player of the match Wareham was the last of the seven bowlers Australia deployed on the night. She conceded a four first ball but had No 3 Sobhana Mostary lob an easy catch to Alana King off a leading edge with her next delivery.

Returning for the last of her three spells, Wareham bowled No 5 Shorna Akter and Rumana Ahmed in the 17th over.

Wareham’s last international appearance came in October 2021 at home, before she suffered an ACL injury later that month during the