NOTTINGHAM, England, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Friday failed to overturn mammoth Australian total and now look very unlikely to qualify for semifinals of the World Cup despite a valiant run chase from the Tigers batsmen.
A strong opening 62 off 74 for Tamim Iqbal followed by 41 off 41 for Shakib Al Hasan and a brilliant century by keeper Mushfiqur Rahim as well as a late flurry 62 from just 50 by all-rounder Mahmudullah was not enough to see the Tigers complete a record chase.
Bangladesh eventually fell 48 runs short of 381 with a respectable 333. Bangladesh will now be hoping for either England or India to slip up in their final games if they have any chance to get through.
During the Australian first innings, David Warner showed off the talent Australia had been missing for over a year after the opener was caught in the ball tampering scandal that rocked Australian cricket.
His wonderful 166 from 147 balls at the top of the innings added an impetus and aggression to the Australian batting that had been criticized by some quarters of the Australian media, including Australian legend Shane Warne, for being too conservative.
Supported by captain Aaron Finch's 53 of 51 at the top and a steady 89 from 72 by Usman Khawaja at 3 gave Australia their highest score of the tournament on what was admittedly a flat, batsman's wicket.
In spite of the single loss to India on their record at this year's World Cup, Australia look certain to be the first side to book their place in the final four.
