Australia v. Bangladesh - Test Series

[couragous cloke]

i think the bangies didnt bowl that badly, and they've come out to bat and done a good job so far. im quietly impressed with them.

i thought 1 of there bowlers (forgot his name) was fantastic. and 1-70 is a good effort, atleast they can hold there heads up high a little, dont worry, sri lanka used to be usless.

it will take a while but the 200 million people will soon make bangladesh a force in the decades to come.

[David Whoo]

Personal opinion only, so don't flame me.
The choice by S. Waugh to play until he got a century, therefore a century against every test playing team, in a "team" game, smacks of putting the individual above the overall Australian effort.
I wonder if the captain would have held off a decleration if another player was close to a century?
In the future yearts, if Waugh decides to make a big thing of this century, can we all please remember the quality of the oposition?

[Donny]

Actually, Waugh's declaration came early, not late.

If Gilly was still in, it would've been entirely in keeping with the 'we're going to play this Test like any other' line to bat on.

With three days still left, and little prospect of rain, the Aussies would've batted on against most other teams. And .. yes, he would've held off the declaration if another batsman was in that position. However, if time was more of a factor, his declaration would be made entirely from a strategic standpoint.

David, and I hope you don't take this as 'flaming', you must be very young or only a casual follower of Test cricket to infer that Steve Waugh would brag about any of his 31 centuries.

[Donny]

Sarkar was dismissed for 35 (ct. Gilly b. Gillespie) but Bashar has just reached 50 and Bangladesh is 2/108.

Habibul Bashar becomes the first Bangladeshi to score a half century against the Aussies. Can he double it ?

[JLC]

I took your advice Donny and watched the game but have seen 3 wickets in not many deliveries...........LMAO LMAO

This is merely a training session for Australia.

jlc

[HAL]

Do you take them often?

[Donny]

Yes JLC, I must admit, I also though I was watching England v. Australia in any one of the first four Tests of last summer.

The Aussies have bowled much better this morning after their little wake up call, last night.

Lee's first 4 overs cost 26 runs but, today, he got serious and bowled like it was a Test match and not beach cricket or a ten pin bowling game. His 6 overs produced 1/4.

Gillespie also got it on line with 7 overs and 1/13. This exposed the middle order and MacGill pounced. He has 3/29 from 8 overs as Bangladesh crashed to 6/123.

[Donny]

From 2/112 the Bangladeshi's lost 8/66 to be all out for 178.

Stuart MacGill took 5/65 and Jason Gillespie, 2/48.

[Donny]

Australia complete an innings victory
The Wisden Bulletin by Lynn McConnell - July 20, 2003

Australia just upped the pressure and Bangladesh folded 7.1 overs after lunch on the third day of their first Test in Darwin today, the home side completing a comprehensive win by an innings and 132 runs.

The end came quickly for Bangladesh, who lost their last nine wickets for 89 runs. It was their ninth loss in 20 Tests in under three days, and their 11th innings defeat in the last 13 Tests. Stuart MacGill had a good day on the field and finished with 5 for 65, his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests.

Bangladesh paid the price for the loss of three top- and middle-order batsmen in the space of eight balls near the end of the morning session. They proved unable to read, or negotiate, MacGill's wrong 'un and while some lusty hitting – more desperation than calculated counter-attack – reduced the final margin of defeat, it was still another debilitating loss for the tourists against an Australian side that was still not firing on a full head of steam.

The Test was played on a slow wicket, and Australia, at this time of the year, would generally have expected to be relaxing at home, following their favourite football teams during the winter. The early finish today will probably allow them to catch the action on television from the comfort of their hotel suites.

Steve Waugh was named man of the match and gained exclusive ownership of the title of the most successful captain in Test cricket history to go alongside the various other records this team has secured under his leadership. His 37 Test victories were one more than Clive Lloyd enjoyed during his time in charge of West Indies. And there was the satisfaction, for one who is imbued with the tradition of the game, of completing a century against each of the opposing nine nations – something he shares with South Africa's Gary Kirsten.

For Bangladesh, Habibul Bashar showed why he has to be regarded as their best batsman, and it was significant that after his dismissal for 54, his 12th half-century, the rot set into the innings. Going to lunch at 142 for 6, it was only a matter of time before the end came, a process Jason Gillespie sped up when he bowled Khaled Mahmud for five off the last ball of the first over after the break.

Moshrafe Mortaza, in typical fast bowler's style, relished the chance to swing the willow like an axe. He hammered 14 runs from a MacGill over, including a six and two fours, but his six-ball innings was ended when Darren Lehmann ran him out with a direct hit from backward square leg.

Al Sahariar dominated the latter part of the innings with some attacking strokeplay, and it was his dismissal for 36, caught and bowled by MacGill running toward the cover region, that ended the match.

The off-season cricket roadshow heads across to the east coast for the second Test starting in Cairns on Friday but given the continuing incapacity of Bangladesh's batsmen to build an innings by graft and application it is difficult to see the result being any different.

[Donny]

For David Whoo.

"We haven't played much cricket in the last four or five weeks so it should be a good contest. We expect it to be a Test match and we're going to play as hard as we can."
Steve Waugh ahead of Australia's first Test against Bangladesh

"I'm not too concerned about records. I just want to go out there and play well and I've said if I don't think I can improve then I shouldn't be there." Steve Waugh plays down his achievement of becoming only the second batsman to score a hundred against all nine Test-playing nations

[Donny]

Lee expects a greentop
Wisden CricInfo staff - July 23, 2003


Brett Lee, who has been cleared to play in the second Test against Bangladesh on Friday despite a back problem, is expecting plenty of success on a pacy wicket at Cairns. Bangladesh were shot out for 97 and 178 on a sluggish track in Darwin, but conditions are likely to be even more in the bowlers' favour.

Kevin Mitchell, the curator, said that recent wet weather had produced more grass than expected, and there had not been enough sun to dry the wicket out. The prospect had Lee licking his chops. "I haven't seen a nice fast wicket for a while," he said, "but this looks as close to a green-top as possible."

Lee, who picked up match figures of 4 for 57 at Darwin, has set his sights on becoming Australia's spearhead in the coming years. "Whether that happens in one, three or five years time ... I'm channelling all my emotions and my energy toward it in the long run. While it was good to bowl fast it still comes to taking wickets and I was pleased to be able to do both in Darwin."

Lee had to withdraw from the attack on the third morning of the Darwin Test complaining of pain in his back. He was diagnosed as suffering from an inflamed facet joint and given an anti-inflammatory injection, which appears to have had the desired effect.

Errol Alcott, Australia's physiotherapist, explained that the injury was probably caused by Lee bowling prolonged spells after a long lay-off. "It's not uncommon," Alcott told the Australian newspaper. "It usually happens at the start of a season when players are with their states, but because we've gone straight into a Test series after a six-week break the body has not had the chance to get used to bowling again."

[Donny]

Steve Waugh won the toss and sent Bangladesh in to bat. They saw off some good early bowling, especially Gillespie's 0/10 from 7 overs, to put on 47 for the first wicket.

At lunch, they are 1/103 with Javed Omar on 54 n.o.

What an impressive effort from the Bangers. To not only hold off the best pace trio in world on a green top but to score 103 in an opening session was quite amazing. Even more so when we consider the Test in England where Sth. Africa scored 0/100 in the first session on a good batting wicket.

[gobbles21]

Bangladesh have to face music first-up again
Lynn McConnell - July 25, 2003


Day One: Australia won toss and bowled first.

Once again Bangladesh will face the fire of Australia's bowling attack, on a pitch much more conducive to faster bowling in Cairns than in Darwin, after Steve Waugh won the toss for the second Test and sent Bangladesh in to face the music.

Waugh threw down the gauntlet to the tourists when saying that while both teams would improve on their first Test performances, he expected that Australian had the ability to improve more. He added that he expected Australia to go hard, so there will be no prisoners taken.

That doesn't bode well for the tourists and they face a difficult time in conditions they rarely get to play in. Temperatures in Cairns are expected to stay in the mid-20s throughout the day.

Bangladesh have made two changes to their team from that beaten by an innings in Darwin. Fast-medium Anwar Hossain Monir will make his Test debut after Al Sahariar was left out of the side that played the first Test. Sanwar Hossain also comes into the side at the expense of Manjural Islam.

Good crowds are expected for the match which is being played at the Bundaberg Rum Stadium in Cairns. The ground capacity is around 12,000 and a feature of the facilities is the grandstand which used to be located at the Gabba ground in Brisbane. It was taken apart and transferred to Cairns when the redevelopment of the Gabba occurred.

Teams:

Australia: Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Darren Lehmann, Steve Waugh (capt), Martin Love, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath. (Andy Bichel - 12th man)

Bangladesh (from): Khaled Mahmud (capt), Javed Omar, Khaled Mashud (wk), Habibul Bashar, Sanwar Hossain, Hannan Sarkar, Mohammad Ashraful, Alok Kapali, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza, Anwar Hossain Monir.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen, David Shepherd (Peter Davis - 3rd umpire)


© Wisden CricInfo Ltd

[Donny]

Bangladesh are now 5/170 after Stuart MacGill just took his third wicket. He has 3/45.

Sarkar played well for 76 as did Habibul Bashar (46)

[Fradam]

Aussies need to lift tomorrow and get back in control of the game. Well done to Bangladesh, we bowled some garbage and they put it away