Big win for Australia in opening T20 international against Bangladesh

Tayla Vlaeminck celebrated her return to international cricket with a fourth-ball wicket as Australia thrashed Bangladesh in the Twenty20 series opener.

In his first match for Australia since January 2022, Vlaeminck beat Sobhana Mostary with his pace to clear the right-hand stumps.

The Victorian quick finished with 1-30 as Australia held Bangladesh to 4-126, before chasing the target without loss and with seven overs to spare.

Vlaeminck, the country’s fastest bowler, suffered two ACL tears and a shoulder dislocation before her 21st birthday.

That came before his most recent extended layoff, when stress fractures in his foot and a shoulder dislocation required more than two years of recovery.

The 25-year-old admitted before the Bangladesh tour that at one point she privately questioned why officials had maintained confidence in her.

But on Sunday afternoon, she reminded us again why.

The right-hander managed to bowl with speed in her first match on the subcontinent, breaking through Mostary’s defenses as the number three tried to defend herself.

Vlaeminck’s return helped boost his bid for the World Cup later this year, also in Bangladesh.

Fellow Victorian Sophie Molineux didn’t hurt her case either.

After a torn ACL destroyed her 2023, the spinner caught Dilara Akter with the first ball of the match.