Aussies stunned by Bangladesh humiliation

SYDNEY, Sunday (AFP) - While Bangladesh celebrated their greatest sporting success, Australians rubbed their eyes in disbelief as they awoke Sunday to news that their world champion cricket team had succumbed to the Asian minnows in Cardiff.

Captain Ricky Ponting was not the only Australian dumbfounded by the five-week loss to Bangladesh, who only weeks ago were derided as not being good enough to play at the elite level of world cricket.

It was astonishing result of contrast: Australia's top of the world one-day rankings, and Bangladesh languishing at the bottom and winning only their 10th win in 108 one-day internationals.

The humbling loss arrived past Sunday newspaper deadlines, and only television and radio carried the news at the head of their sports bulletins throughout the day.

But the manner of the loss coupled with disciplinary problems with all-rounder Andrew Symonds made for an uneasy realisation that visions of an easy success over Bangladesh and indeed the Ashes series with England were a bit premature.

But Australian cricket fans spoke Sunday on talkback radio of a rude wake-up call for the 'arrogant' Australians, who have dominated world cricket for the best part of a decade.

"This is probably one of the biggest upsets in the history of cricket and my worst defeat as captain," Ponting told reporters after Saturday's match. "If this doesn't shake us up, nothing will.

"It will probably not be a good idea to read the papers in the morning."

Symonds banned

News of Symonds' late-night drinking indiscretion also compounded the hurt felt by Aussie cricket followers.

Symonds was banned Sunday for two games for staying out late before the world champions' shock defeat to Bangladesh.

Symonds, rated one of the game's best one-day cricketers, was also fined two match fees, a total of 8,000 Australian dollars (3,000 pounds). The revelation of disciplinary problems raised concerns about the mental state of the Australian team in the opening week of the three-month Ashes tour.

Ponting is also under the spotlight in his role of captain, initially saying that Symonds was left out of the team to play Bangladesh because of influenza and then later admitting that he knew before the game that Symonds had arrived at the Cardiff ground smelling of alcohol.

Ponting said in a team statement Sunday: "As a team under the players' Spirit of Cricket pledge we pride ourselves on playing cricket hard but fair but also on being good role models.

"We take this sort of thing very seriously and I'm very disappointed with what has happened, as is Andrew. "Andrew is aware he has let the team down as well as cricket fans but most of all he has let himself down. We are professional cricketers, and rightly so the public expect us to behave that way.

"It is an unwanted distraction at this stage of the tour, but hopefully we can now put it behind us and concentrate on playing some good cricket."

Australian cricket fans hope so as well.

AUSTRALIA 

A. Gilchrist lbw b Mortaza 		0 
M. Hayden b N. Hossain 		37 
R. Ponting lbw b Baisya 		1 
D. Martyn c Iqbal b Baisya 		77 
M. Clarke c Mortaza b Baisya 		54 
M. Hussey not out 			31 
S. Katich not out 			36 

Extras (LB-3, NB-8, W-2) 		13 

TOTAL (for 5 wickets, 50 overs) 		249 

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0, 2-9, 3-57, 4-165, 5-183. 

DID NOT BAT: B. Hogg, J. Gillespie, M. Kasprowicz, G. McGrath. 

BOWLING: Mortaza 10-2-33-1 (w-1), Baisya 10-1-69-3 (nb-8), 
N. Hossain 10-2-65-1, Rafique 10 - 0 - 31 - 0 (w-1), A. Ahmed 10-0-48-0. 

BANGLADESH 

J. Omar c Hayden b Kasprowicz 		19 
N. Iqbal c Gilchrist b Gillespie 		8 
T. Imran c Katich b Hogg 		24 
M. Ashraful c Hogg b Gillespie 		100 
H. Bashar run out 			47 
A. Ahmed not out 			21 
M. Rafique not out 			9 

Extras (B-1, LB-11, NB-4, W-6) 		22 

TOTAL (for 5 wickets, 49.2 overs) 		250 

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-17, 2-51, 3-72, 4-202, 5-227. 

DID NOT BAT: K. Mashud, M. Mortaza, T. Baisya, N. Hossain. 

BOWLING: McGrath 10-1-43-0 (nb-2), Gillespie 9.2-1-41-2 (w-2), 
Kasprowicz 10-0-40-1 (nb-2), Hogg 9-0-52-1 (w-1), Clarke 6-0-38-0 (w-1), Hussey 5-0-24-0. 

RESULTS: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets