Australia thrashes Bangladesh by nine wickets

Colombo, September 19: Australia set up a semi-final showdown with Sri Lanka as they crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets in their pool 1 Champions Trophy clash on Thursday.

Australia had looked on course for only their second victory by 10 wickets in 512 one-day internationals with Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist moving smoothly towards Bangladesh's total of 129 all out.

But Gilchrist's dismissal for 54 with the score at 113 put paid to their hopes of a win by that margin, and it was left to Hayden and captain Ricky Ponting to see the world champions home in only 20.4 overs.

Hayden smashed the winning boundary from off-spinner Mazharul Haque to finish with 67 from 70 balls, while Ponting was unbeaten on nine at the close.

The defeat was Bangladesh's 19th successive one-day loss and their 51st fin 54 matches. They also recorded the lowest total of the tournament so far, eclipsing the 132 of New Zealand, also against Australia, on Sunday.

A win for the world champions was inevitable as soon as Bangladesh slumped to 13 for four after their captain Khaled Mashud won the toss and bravely decided to bat against the same attack that had skittled New Zealand, the tournament's defending champions.

Jason Gillespie (three for 20) struck twice in his first over to remove Al-Sahariar, lbw half-forward, and Habibul Bashar, caught behind by Gilchrist, both wickets falling without a run on the board.

Glenn McGrath then got in on the act by dismissing Javed Omar for four, caught by Brett Lee at extra-cover.

When Gillespie struck again to dispatch Mazharul Haque, caught by Gilchrist as he gloved a hook shot there seemed a real danger Bangladesh would not pass the lowest score in one-day international history, 38 by Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka on the same Sinhalese Sports Club ground in 2001.

That indignity was averted by gritty middle-order contributions from Tushar Imran (27), Mashud (22) and Alok Kapali (45) but the damage had been done.

Ponting could afford to relieve Gillespie and McGrath and give fast bowler Brett Lee and spinners Darren Lehmann and Shane Warne an extended bowl safe in the knowledge that Australia had the match completely in control.

Lee picked up two wickets and Warne one, while Shane Watson wrapped up the innings with two late lbws, both given out after referral to the third umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan.

Requiring only 2.6 runs per over to win, Hayden began like a man in a hurry, illustrating why he was the leading run-scorer in the recent triangular series against Pakistan and Kenya as he pulled and drove with brutal power.

Gilchrist faced only 12 balls in the first seven overs and began by struggling to find his timing. But he soon caught the mood and the pair never looked in trouble.

Hayden reached his 50 first, from 53 balls with seven fours and a pull for six from a Manjural Islam full toss, quickly followed by Gilchrist, whose half-century took just 44 deliveries and included nine fours.

Nothing seemed likely to separate them until Gilchrist missed an attempted sweep at left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique and was adjudged lbw.

The Australian players now head off to the Maldive islands for a short break ahead of their semi-final against Sri Lanka next Friday.

Bangladesh and New Zealand will contest the final match of pool 1 on Monday, but neither side can displace Australia at the top of the standings.

The other semi-final will be between the winners of the England-India clash in pool 2 and South Africa if they beat Kenya in the final pool 3 match on Friday.