Shoriful's six-for in vain as Connolly's maiden ton leads Australia to thrilling win

Cooper Connolly struck a sensational maiden ODI century as Australia survived a dramatic late scare to edge Bangladesh by one wicket in the third and final ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.

The 22-year-old left-hander hammered 149 off 134 balls, including 13 fours and six sixes, anchoring Australia's chase of 275. Just when the visitors appeared to be cruising to victory, Bangladesh sparked a remarkable comeback, claiming four wickets for just five runs to reduce Australia from a position of comfort to 271-9.

Pacer Shoriful Islam led the charge with a career-best 6-48, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. He removed Oliver Peake (27) and Xavier Bartlett (0) off successive deliveries before dismissing Ben Dwarshuis (4) to drag Bangladesh back into the contest.

Mustafizur Rahman added to the tension by bowling Connolly in the penultimate over, but Australia held their nerve. Adam Zampa, who had survived a dropped chance from Tanzid Hasan Tamim at gully on nought off Shoriful's bowling, struck the winning boundary off Taskin Ahmed as Australia reached 277-9 in 49.3 overs.

Despite the win, Australia lost the three-match series 2-1 after Bangladesh had clinched the opening two matches.

Earlier, Bangladesh recovered from early setbacks to post a competitive 274-5 from their 50 overs. Tawhid Hridoy top-scored with a fluent 83 off 88 balls, while Litton Das and Mosaddek Hossain remained unbeaten on 58 and 56 respectively.

After electing to bat, Bangladesh lost Soumya Sarkar for two in the opening over. Tanzid (19) and stand-in captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (24) added 51 runs for the second wicket before both fell to part-time off-spinner Matt Renshaw.

With Bangladesh slipping to 61-3 in the 15th over, Hridoy and Litton rebuilt the innings through a vital 92-run fourth-wicket stand. After Litton retired hurt, Hridoy combined with Mosaddek in a 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket to put the hosts back on track.

Hridoy looked set for a second ODI hundred before falling for 83 to Ben Dwarshuis in the 46th over. Mosaddek completed his second half-century of the series, while Litton returned after Mahedi Hasan's dismissal for three and brought up his first ODI fifty at Mirpur.

Australia's chase began shakily as Shoriful struck twice in the fifth over, removing Josh Inglis for 21 and Matt Renshaw for a duck within three deliveries. Taskin Ahmed then dismissed Alex Carey for eight, with Soumya Sarkar producing a stunning one-handed catch at cover.

Connolly, who had never previously scored a List A century, orchestrated Australia's recovery with crucial partnerships alongside Marnus Labuschagne (29), Cameron Green (27) and Oliver Peake (27), taking the visitors to the brink of victory.

Bangladesh's spirited late fightback ultimately proved insufficient, with poor ground fielding and at least three dropped catches throughout the innings proving costly.

The teams will now head to Chattogram for a three-match T20I series, which begins on June 17.