Top End ODI Series, Aus vs Ban, 2008 :Bangladesh aim to bridge gulf

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Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, believes several of his batsmen were scared of Mitchell Johnson's speed and he blamed their "silly shots" for the team's dismal effort against Australia in Darwin. More... Australia v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Darwin Johnson's speed frightened us - Siddons Brydon Coverdale in Darwin August 30, 2008 Jamie Siddons was unimpressed with the shot selection from the Bangladesh players © Getty Images Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, believes several of his batsmen were scared of Mitchell Johnson's speed and he blamed their "silly shots" for the team's dismal effort against Australia in Darwin. Chasing 255 for victory Bangladesh capitulated for 74, which was their lowest total in an ODI, and a clearly frustrated Siddons was searching for answers after the match. He was particularly critical of some of the batsmen falling to premeditated shots and he singled out the captain Mohammad Ashraful, whose ugly attempted pull to a Johnson ball that stayed low trapped him dead in front. "I can't control their mental frame of mind when they get out there," Siddons said. "The shot selection - premeditated shots like Ash's, it's a little disappointing." The unfamiliarity of the debutant Brett Geeves, who bowled quick and picked up 2 for 11, contributed to the middle-order struggles but the main damage came at the top. It was the first time several of the players had faced Johnson, and Siddons said they played him on his reputation rather than his efforts on the day. "A couple of the guys had it in their mind about Mitchell Johnson and so on, and I don't think Mitchell bowled that fast today," Siddons said. "The wicket slowed him up a fair bit. So the batsmen can probably have a look at that now and say, well, it's not the type of wicket that he's going to bowl 100 miles an hour. "We can take away the unknown now. They've seen Geeves, they've seen Mitchell Johnson. They don't need to be frightened of their pace any more. Most of the guys got out there and faced either of those two. They can take that away and come back the next game and play some better shots and be a bit more patient." Johnson also picked up Tamim Iqbal, who had belted the slower Nathan Bracken for a couple of boundaries but fell when he tried to slash Johnson over third man. Tamim misjudged the shot and it fell into the hands of Geeves, leaving Bangladesh's middle order exposed too early in the match. "It's something that you see a lot with our guys," Siddons said. "They don't look uncomfortable at that level, but they get out with some silly shots. I can yell and scream at them or I can take them to the nets and keep working at it. I think I'll take them to the nets." Siddons was concerned that "the occasion was too big" for his players and he is keen to make top-order changes for the second match on Wednesday. He was obviously unsure whether Mehrab Hossain jnr, who made an eight-ball duck, was the right man to open, but whoever goes out first should take note of the patience displayed by Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh, who ground out an 85-run partnership. It was not pretty but it was highly effective and it gave Hussey a solid enough platform to cut loose towards the end, driving Australia to the 254 that set up their 180-run triumph. He finished with 85 and was the main reason Australia picked up 49 from the final five overs, an effort that drew praise from the stand-in captain Michael Clarke. "Talk about it every game with Huss, don't we?" Clarke said. "He's a freak ... he stood up, he made sure he was going to be there at the end. He helped the boys around him, he played that support role through the middle and then enjoyed the last few overs." Clarke was also thrilled there were a couple of wickets for Geeves, who was a late inclusion in the squad after Brett Lee became unavailable. It gives Australia a tough choice on who to leave out on Wednesday, if Shane Watson is ruled fit after missing the opening game with soreness in his lower leg. "Geevesy really looked forward to today, once he found out he'd been selected he was very excited, he was dying for an opportunity," Clarke said. "It shows the strength of Australian cricket. Guys just keep coming in and keep stepping up."

[Sachinism]

That's ridiculous, they've played Lee before, he's much quicker than Johnson

[jf1gp_1]

That's ridiculous' date=' they've played Lee before, he's much quicker than Johnson[/quote'] i didnt know johnson was quicker than lee

[SachDan]

Johnson is nowhere near Brett Lee in any department of fast bowling.One more excuse for pathetic performance. Its high Bangladesh be demoted.

[Kohum]

Its high Bangladesh be demoted.

I second that.

[bharat297]

Trust me ... based on experience ... certain bowlers on certain days just seem quicker. Remember that the speed gun measures the speed out of the hand. So a bowler that bowls 140 out of the hand could seem quicker to the batsman than one who bowls 145 out of the hand. It depends on the type of bowler and how much the pitch slows the ball down.

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Top End ODI Series, Aus vs Ban, 2008 :Bangladesh aim to bridge gulf Bangladesh hope to expose Australia's lack of match practice in the first ODI in Darwin. More... Australia v Bangladesh, 2nd ODI, Darwin Bangladesh aim to bridge gulf Brydon Coverdale in Darwin September 2, 2008 Match facts Tamim Iqbal says the occasion got to Bangladesh in the first match © AFP Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Start time 9.30am (local) The Big Picture Australia's one-sided 180-run victory in the first match was largely overshadowed by the Andrew Symonds fishing mess. But nothing could quite mask the gulf between the two teams. It could not have gone much worse for Bangladesh. They crashed to their lowest ODI score, lost by 180 runs and were slammed by their coach Jamie Siddons for playing "silly shots". It will take a remarkable turnaround for them to be competitive in the second match, let alone for them to win. ODI form guide Australia - WWWWW (most recent first) Bangladesh - LLLLL Team news The loss of Symonds and the inclusion of Moises Henriques in the squad as a learning experience leaves Australia with only 12 men to choose from. Shane Watson missed the previous game due to minor soreness in his leg but he trained at full strength on Monday and Tuesday and is ready to return. The most likely scenario is for Watson to rejoin Shaun Marsh at the top of the order, James Hopes to drop down the order and Brett Geeves to be squeezed out despite picking up two wickets on debut. Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Cameron White, 8 James Hopes, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Stuart Clark. Bangladesh's under-siege batting order has received another setback with the news that Raqibul Hasan is out of the series after fracturing his right thumb when he was struck by a Geeves delivery on Saturday. Siddons was keen to make top-order changes after Mehrab Hossain jnr struggled in the opening role on Saturday and Junaid Siddique may get the job. Bangladesh 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Junaid Siddique, 3 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 4 Mehrab Hossain jnr, 5 Shakib al Hasan, 6 Alok Kapali, 7 Dhiman Ghosh (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Nazmul Hossain, 11 Shahadat Hossain. Watch out for ... Mitchell Johnson The quickest bowler in the series, Johnson picked up two early wickets in the first match. Siddons said his batsmen were frightened of Johnson's speed and played premeditated shots to deal with it. He also believed the Darwin pitch did not give Johnson much assistance, so the Bangladesh batsmen might reassess their approach on Wednesday. Mashrafe Mortaza The all-time leading ODI wicket taker among Bangladesh fast bowlers, Mortaza was impressively tight in the opening match of this series. If he can add a couple of early wickets and allow the spinners to attack Australia's middle order, he could give Bangladesh their best chance of an upset. Umpires Amiesh Saheba, Bruce Oxenford. Pitch and conditions The pitch on Saturday was a little slower than expected and the batsmen had to work hard to find their touch. By letting Australia set a target of more than 250, Bangladesh put themselves on the back foot. If they bowl first on Wednesday, they will be hoping to restrict Australia to around 220. Weather As expected in Darwin, the forecast is for hot and sunny weather with a top temperature of 34 degrees. Stats and trivia Bangladesh's 74 on Saturday was their lowest ODI total; the previous mark was 76 against both India in 2003 and Sri Lanka in 2002. Cameron White collected a career-best 3 for 5 in the first match, having picked up only four victims in his previous 18 one-day internationals. There have been only two ODIs held at Darwin's Marrara Cricket Ground. Australia have now beaten Bangladesh at the venue by margins of 112 runs and 180 runs. Quotes "If we're playing our best, we should be able to beat them pretty easily. They are ranked ninth in the world and we are number one." Shane Watson, the Australia allrounder. "The occasion got to us in the first game but we are more relaxed now and hopefully we will play a better all-round game for the rest of the series." Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh opener.

[Holysmoke]

Gulf? More like Ocean.And you dont Bridge an Ocean.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Gulf? More like Ocean.And you dont Bridge an Ocean.

Yes... there is a ocean of difference between Australia and Bangladesh in terms of Sportsmanship, Fairplay, Respect to players from the opposition and ofcourse discipline. Its high time ACB and the Australian cricketers realize that they are far behind Bangladesh in these departments and come up with a 10 year plan to bridge the difference:two_thumbs_up:

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'It's just not happening for us' - Ashraful After being shot out for 74 in the first ODI, Bangladesh's batsmen were given a chance to make amends in the second when Mohammad Ashraful opted to bat first. Instead, it was yet another failure for the visitors - they were skittled for 117 - and their captain said his side weren't performing to potential. More... 'It's just not happening for us' - Ashraful Cricinfo staff September 3, 2008 Mohammad Ashraful trudges off to the dressing room after he was out for 3 © AFP After being shot out for 74 in the first ODI, Bangladesh's batsmen were given a chance to make amends in the second when Mohammad Ashraful opted to bat first. Instead, it was yet another failure for the visitors - they were skittled for 117 - and their captain said his side wasn't performing to its potential. "It is very disappointing," Ashraful told TigerCricket.com. "We are unable to implement what we are practising and planning. Everyone knows and we know that we are a much better team than this and we can play much better cricket. It's just not happening for us at the moment." Bangladesh had a poor start. The first ball of the match saw Tamim Iqbal squared up by Nathan Bracken, while his opening partner Mehrab Hossain jnr half-heartedly prodded in to the hands of Michael Hussey at slip in the fifth over to give Bracken his second. Bangladesh were left struggling at 15 for 3 when Ashraful fell for a full delivery from Stuart Clark wide of the off stump. "It was a half volley and a four ball," he said. "It just swung too much." Ashraful admitted the top order didn't do their job. "The ball was swinging a lot early on and that is only natural," he said. "It would swing in the first six-seven overs whether you bowl first or second and it is our responsibility as batsmen to see off that period. We again failed to do that." Though Bangladesh managed to better their 74 on Sunday, Ashraful wasn't looking at any positives. "The disappointment is the same. Improvement would have been scoring over 200 and pushing Australia," he said. "I thought we had confidence in the batting department after the practice matches where we twice made 300-plus scores and crossed 270 twice. But after the first match I guess the confidence has suffered a bit." The only positive for the Bangladeshis was once again the bowling of Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib, playing his 50th ODI, raised faint hopes of a comeback when he dismissed both Shane Watson and Michael Clarke, who became the spin-bowling allrounder's 50th ODI wicket. "They again stood out," Ashraful said, "but the bowlers had nothing to bowl at as we didn't give them any runs to play with." Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, even said sorry to the supporters. "On behalf of the team I want to apologise to our fans around the world and all those who are supporting us back home," he said. "I can assure you we are a much more capable side and we will do a lot better against New Zealand at home and maybe even in the last ODI here."

[vvvslaxman]

Bangladesh is a big waste of space in international Cricket. I can't believe Australia even accepted a series like this. Globalizing cricket has become a joke. BD is team no better than an average club teams you find in developed nations. You give them 10 years.. they will also occasionally cause an upset. Their Test status should be revoked immediately.

[MalikBrother]

Bangladesh needs to play much cricket against Professional teams. Playing cricket against Professional after a long time, does make different. The only improvise i can see is , to Bangladesh play much cricket against Professional teams consistently. The more you play against Professional teams, the more you get better !

[Chorazin Reto]

Yeah i think our AIS beat Bangladesh overall, but teams like this need to play top quality sides, just watching top quality sides i dont think helps that much. It's one thing to watch Mitchell Johnson bowl and say yeah he's got a quickish delivery and another to face up to him. The more experience they get the better off they will be, also with a national cricket team you have them to go around and promote it internally, at a grass roots level, get the kids involved and such. Im not too sure if the games aired overseas but the number of youngsters at the Darwin ground to watch the games was pretty incredible. Even a small Bangla contingent was their to cheer on the Tigers.

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A long way to go for Bangladesh JAMIE Siddons signed up for a challenge, and on that front, Bangladesh cricket hasn't let him down. More... Cricket A long way to go for Bangladesh September 05, 2008 JAMIE Siddons signed up for a challenge, and on that front, Bangladesh cricket hasn't let him down. Inside a year in his role as national coach, there have been embarrassing defeats, constant locking of horns with the board and the million-dollar question: when will the country make it in cricket? "I get asked all the time, 'How long?' and I say 'I've got no idea'," said Siddons, previously a great at Australian domestic level and former assistant coach with the world champion side. Bangladesh have a population of over 150 million and is located on the most cricket-mad region on earth. But nearing the end of a decade at the big table, the poor results continue. Thrashed by Australia in the first two one-dayers in Darwin the past week, a good result in Sunday's final match would be honourable defeat. The Tigers beat Australia one memorable afternoon in Cardiff in 2005, but asked about the highlights during his tenure, Siddons mentioned the batsmen scoring centuries and beating Ireland 3-0 in a one-day series. Fledgling cricket nations historically take time to become competitive, but Bangladesh's journey has been arguably tougher, as the likes of New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka all had decent infrastructure when granted elite status. Siddons said the situation in his new home had to be seen to be believed. There were few ovals and even less gyms, he said, little in the way of organised junior cricket, a handful of qualified coaches, two physiotherapists, and one bowling machine. "It was tough to move from Australia, with all the comforts and the side winning so often, and the challenge hasn't got any easier," Siddons said of the job he took in late 2007. "It's still tough every day, but if you want to be a coach it's probably the place to be, because you have to coach every day." And plan ahead. Siddons is critical of the national cricket board's lack of planning, and reluctance to put adequate infrastructure in place, from ground zero. He said board members were only interested in the national team's fortunes. "That's where they'll be seen to be a successful board member and make a name for themselves," he said. "I don't see any sign of long-term vision for Bangladesh cricket. "All I see is a real want for the national team to do well and the frustration at why they aren't. "No one's looking at the reasons why they're not producing world-class cricketers. "If they keep doing that they'll keep getting the same results, the cricketer who comes into this team won't be a prepared cricketer." Siddons' contract is for two years, but he is keen to take this group to the 2011 World Cup and along the way put the foundations for the future in place. He wondered how good Bangladesh would be if they had the facilities and strong cricket cultures developed nations had. He admits his young group – Mohammad Ashraful is 24 and bowler Mashrafe Mortaza is the oldest at 26 – are a quiet, occasionally timid bunch, and too friendly for their own good. They are talented, but do not have the benefit of crafting their game at lower levels. "Our guys are still making those fundamental mistakes and getting exposed at international level," he said. "It's not fair on them, but that's the reality of Bangladesh cricket."

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Greg for India Siddons for Bangladesh... Gift from down under to kill their cricket

[Dravid]

124 in 38 overs.. AUS is 3 run outs..

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Ashraful running out of chances - Siddons Jamie Siddons has warned the Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful that he could soon face the axe unless he quickly turns around his dismal batting form. More... Australia v Bangladesh, 3rd ODI, Darwin Ashraful running out of chances - Siddons Brydon Coverdale in Darwin September 6, 2008 Tamim Iqbal worked through some difficult moments but too many of his batting colleagues could not show the same application © AFP Jamie Siddons has warned the Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful that he could soon face the axe unless he quickly turns around his dismal batting form. In the third ODI in Darwin, Ashraful drove in the air to point for 3 when his team needed a platform and he also fell for single figures playing bad strokes in the first two games. The series has continued a lean run for Ashraful, who has passed fifty just four times in his past 30 one-day international innings, and two of those successes came against not-Test sides Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. Siddons, the team's coach, is running out of patience. "He's been given a lot of positions in the order and he's still failing," Siddons said. "It's disappointing for him, being the leader of the team. If it were anyone else he wouldn't be in the side. He needs to start making runs. He knows that. We talk to him about that all the time. I'm not giving out any secrets ... it's getting close." When asked how long Ashraful would be given to battle out of his slump, Siddons said: "I don't know, it's not my decision. But he needs to make runs. For himself he needs to make runs and for his leadership he needs to make runs." For the coaching staff, just as concerning as Ashraful's lack of big scores is the way he has played. His final dismissal against Australia came from the next ball he faced after being dropped driving lazily to cover. In the first match he was trapped lbw trying an ugly pull and in the second game he flashed at a full, wide Stuart Clark ball and edged behind. One of Bangladesh's main aims in Darwin has been to bat out their 50 overs and Ashraful's lack of application has rubbed off on several of his team-mates. Siddons was at a loss to why Alok Kapali had tried to pull a straight ball that was much too full from Mitchell Johnson and lost his off stump. "I haven't spoken to him yet," Siddons said. "Hard to explain, a bit like Ash's shot. It's hard to explain why they would consider playing those shots to those balls." The 73-run loss was especially disappointing for Siddons, given the terrific effort from Bangladesh's bowlers to restrict Australia to 198. At that point Siddons reiterated to his men what was needed. "I asked for contributions, it didn't need to be a super-human effort from anyone," Siddons said. "Everything fell into place today. The pitch spun, it was slow, hard for the batsmen to score. It suited our style of cricket perfectly. It suited our batsmen perfectly as well. But for some unknown reason they all threw their wickets away." The only man to show real resolve was Tamim Iqbal, whose 63 gave Bangladesh hope of an upset. While Siddons said Tamim would need to start converting his regular starts into centuries, the coach was happy with the opener's aggressive but largely controlled display. Tamim was out to a what he himself called "a stupid shot" when he slashed at a cut shot off Shane Watson and was caught at third man. He was running out of partners but Tamim was angry with himself for throwing away the team's last remaining hopes and his chances of a century. He said the batsmen were disappointed to continually let down Siddons with loose strokes. "We're working hard and we have a very good coach," Tamim said. "He pushes us in everything. "We are a young side and have to learn a lot of things. The more matches we play, the more improvement will come. We have to listen to him first. At this moment I don't think we are listening to him."

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Australia complete 3-0 series sweep against Bangladesh Australia beat Bangladesh by 73 runs on Saturday to complete a 3-0 sweep of their limited-overs series in Darwin. The Australians posted a modest total of 198 for five from their 50 overs but sealed a comfortable victory by bowling out the visitors for 125 in the 30th over. More... Australia v Bangladesh, 3rd ODI, Darwin Australia fend off Tamim to earn cleansweep The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale in Darwin September 6, 2008 Australia 5 for 198 (M Hussey 57*) beat Bangladesh 125 (Tamim 63, Hopes 3-30) by 73 runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball details How they were out Michael Hussey, the Player of the Series, registered an important half-century that kept Australia ahead of the committed tourists © AFP Tamim Iqbal's one-man entertainment show was not enough to turn Darwin into Cardiff as Australia wrapped up a 3-0 cleansweep with a 73-run victory over Bangladesh. Tamim mastered the slow surface better than anyone had all week. He showed more flair than Australia's key man Michael Hussey but only two of Tamim's colleagues reached double figures and three wickets to James Hopes led to a familiar result. Bangladesh were chasing 199, which despite their batting woes on this tour looked like a vaguely feasible target. When Tamim lashed the likes of Hopes and Mitchell Johnson there were some nervous flutters from Michael Clarke, who was part of the team when Bangladesh upset Australia in Cardiff in 2005. Several facets of Bangladesh's game came together on this occasion: Tamim was on fire, their spinners bowled terrifically tightly and their fielding was sharp. Again, the disappointment was the rest of their batting as several men threw their wickets away unnecessarily. It was all the more frustrating for Bangladesh this time because, the way Tamim was playing, they had a genuine chance. He made their first half-century of the series and finished with 63, skying a catch off Shane Watson as he ran out of colleagues. He ended up with more than half of his team's 125 and the Man-of-the-Match award. Tamim was so enthusiastic that one attempted pull off Hopes finished with the bat flying halfway to the square-leg umpire after he failed to connect with the ball. More often he did make powerful contact. A cracking drive for four over mid-on from Hopes was followed next ball by a cleanly-struck six to the same spot. But Hopes easily got through the defences of Mahmudullah and trapped Dhiman Ghosh lbw, having already removed Tamim's most important partner, Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib had batted well for 27, although he was dropped at third man on 14. His luck ran out when he tried to pull Hopes but failed to connect properly and lobbed a catch to Michael Hussey at midwicket. It was the end of Bangladesh's best stand of the series and, as it turned out, the end of their chances. The pair had led a good recovery after the top order stumbled to 3 for 22. Mohammad Ashraful fell to an awful piece of batting for the third time in the series. As the captain and arguably best batsman in a young side, his approach in the middle must be a major concern for the coaching staff. They had 50 overs to score 199. What they needed from this innings, as they have through the whole series, was patience and concentration. Instead Ashraful showed no application. He had 3 on the board when he drove Stuart Clark in the air with no real control and was taken by Michael Clarke at point. Before wandering off the Marrara Cricket Ground, Ashraful stood for a moment and looked down the pitch, seemingly wondering what had gone wrong. He had not learned from his mistake from Clark's previous ball, when he drove in the air straight to cover, where Hopes spilled what he should have taken. Just as bad was Alok Kapali's brain explosion as he tried to pull a Johnson ball that was nowhere near short enough and lost his off stump as a result. Clark had already accounted for Junaid Siddique with a nasty bouncer that was fended to first slip. Bangladesh really needed to take note of the way Hussey, the Player of the Series, had batted to nudge Australia to 5 for 198. His painstaking unbeaten 57 ensured a competitive total despite the strong efforts of Bangladesh in the field. He struck a couple of boundaries towards the end but for most of the innings concentrated solely on batting out the overs, something Bangladesh failed to do in any of the three ODIs. Scoring was tough for Australia. Eye of the Tiger blared over the PA system and it was a prescient choice as a sharp Bangladesh threw down the stumps several times. Such was Australia's trouble finding gaps, particularly against the spin of Shakib and Abdur Razzak, that they started taking suicidal singles. Shane Watson (27) did not trust Clarke's call and his hesitation cost him when Mashrafe Mortaza and Ghosh combined to find him short. Clarke himself was stranded out of his ground when he bunted to the off side, hared for a run and watched as Kapali's throw shattered the stumps. David Hussey fell in similar fashion when Ashraful at mid-off was accurate, although the one they needed to get was the one they missed. When Michael Hussey had 6 he scampered through for a run and was well short when the throw narrowly passed by. Bangladesh can only dream of what might have happened had the shy hit. As it was they tied Australia up impressively. No boundaries came off the bat between the 14th and 42nd overs. By the close of Australia's innings, Bangladesh's confidence had lifted appreciably. If only their batsman had done the same.