Others followed suit with some really irrational batting and a plan that seemed to have been created in a hurry as players figured there was going to be a game after all! Mohammed Ashraful, the shining light of Bangladeshi batting, for example, decided it's best to sweep Glenn McGrath. When he finally fell after a couple of good shots, it was the same story all over again.
It's not like Bangladesh could have posted 150 in the 22-over match but they definitely could have tried to make a bigger impact on a huge stage. It's not like there were any devils in the pitch. It was a belter of a pitch (as Gilchrist and Hayden proved later) and only some rash batting held the Banglas back.
Aggression, which is so much a part of the Australian gameplan, was seen from ball one. Even in small things like throwing the ball back to the keeper. The Aussies don't lob it back. They make sure it fizzes past the batsman and that he knows that the fielders are awake to any possibility and he needs to be on his toes. Bangladesh looked out of depth and their performance does indeed raise questions again about the format.
Bangladesh will lose all but maybe one of their Super Eight matches. Even when in bad form, India could have won a couple. So while India is punished for two bad games, what happens to Bangladesh for losing six? Expect more of these humiliations.
For the record, Australia won by 10 wickets chasing down 105 in just 13.5 overs and inside one hour! Adam Gilchrist scored 59* while Matt Hayden was 47*. For Bangladesh, Habibul Bashar and Saqibul Hasan (25 each) were the topscorers!
On Shane Watson's calf strain
He has what looks likely to be a fairly minor strain in his left calf," "I don't know any more than that. He will have a scan tomorrow. We have a week before our next game."
Bangladesh coach, Dav Whatmore
On Bangladesh' top order crumbling once again
"As you can see one or two of the boys have got the ability. It's just a rush of blood here, rush of blood there that's really frustrating because they have got so much talent and ability."
On cutting loose against McGrath and eventually throwing away their wickets to him
"I was not happy to see that, it was the frustrating part because he has got the best economy rate of all their bowlers and the boys knew that but still they wanted to hit him," - You can see the talent in the kids, it's not easy to hit this fellow but they still do and try and hit him."
On his advice to Bangladeshi batsmen for the coming New Zealand game
"Preserve the wickets and take a little bit more time and accumulate runs which will help enormously' ' A little bit more discipline and applying a little more logic and we will do better."
