Meg Lannings unbeaten 48 guided Australia to an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh as the reigning ICC Womens T20 World Cup champions recorded their second successive victory, here.
Lanning led Australia to a successful chase of Bangladesh's 107, to which captain Nigar Sultana Joty contributed 57, with Georgia Wareham (3/20) among the Australian bowlers to shine on Tuesday night.
Darcie Brown added two for 23 before Alyssa Healy and Lanning's 72-run partnership laid the groundwork for the chase.
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat, but they lost Shamima Sultana early, with Beth Mooney taking a brilliant catch at extra cover off Brown's bowling. With only 11 runs on the board, the fast bowler took her second wicket, uprooting Murshida Khatun's leg stump.
Joty, Bangladesh's leading run scorer and captain, came up with back-to-back fours to give the innings some momentum. She had 21 off 13 by the end of the powerplay after hitting Alana King for four and a six in quick succession.
The skipper lost the company of Sobhana Mostary, who provided an easy catch for King and a first wicket for Wareham, who was making her competition debut.
Brown thought she had taken her third wicket of the evening shortly after the halfway point when Shorna Akter was given out caught behind, but the young batter was given out on review.
The 16-year-old also survived a lbw appeal in the next over, allowing Joty to become the first Bangladeshi to score a half-century in an ICC Women's T20 World Cup, hers from 41 balls, including seven boundaries.
In the 17th over, Wareham struck twice, first bowling Shorna for 12 shortly after the teenager's first boundary, then repeating the trick to dismiss Rumana Ahmed and leave the score at 90 for five.
Joty then left, with Lanning taking a routine catch from Ashleigh Gardner's bowling before Megan Schutt dismissed Nahida Akter at the death.
Marufa Akter, who shone in Bangladesh's opener against Sri Lanka, picked up where she left off in the reply, taking a crucial early wicket of Mooney for two, but Alyssa Healy and Lanning quickly took over. They hit five boundaries in 11 balls, including a fine six from the former, to take Australia to 45 for one at the end of the powerplay.
Marufa then put Lanning down, the 18-year-old unable to keep the ball from squirming beneath her ambitious dive and away for four.
The second-wicket partnership quickly passed 50, but it was cut short when Healy picked out Joty to give Shorna a breakthrough.
Gardner joined Lanning at the crease and hit the boundary off the second ball of the 18th over, propelling Australia to the top of Group 1.
Australia will remain in Gqeberha to face table-toppers Sri Lanka on Thursday, while Bangladesh will face New Zealand the following day at Newlands.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 107/7 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 57; Georgia Wareham 3-20, Darcie Brown 2-23) lost to Australia 111/3 in 18.2 overs (Meg Lanning 48 not out, Alyssa Healy 37; Shorna Akter 1/12) by 8 wickets