damianUnderstrength Aussies to take on Bangladesh
August 21st 2008 04:30
What promised to be a relatively comfortable series for Australia has now been opened up considerably with the exclusion already of Australia's two best players, in Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting and the possible omission of Matthew Hayden, also due to injury.
With the side to be captained by Michael Clarke, it will be an Australian side virtually unrecognisable to those who may not have seen the side play since last summer. Players such as Shaun Marsh and Brett Geeves were certainly not on the radar at that stage, with Marsh forcing his way into the side purely on the strength of his results in the IPL.
Australia's batting certainly cannot be described as weak while players of the calibre of CLarke, Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds remain in the lineup, however their bowling attack could be tested as Nathan Bracken finds himself now the frontline bowler in Lee's absence. With Stuart Clarke and Mitchell Johnson given the chance to step up, it may be just the opportunity they have been waiting for, but the fact remains that Australia is without a bowler capable of sustained, controlled aggression, and of course the squad does not feature a single frontline spinner. It could be a make or break series for Cameron White!
As for the Bangladeshis, while still an incredibly young side themselves, there are a few familiar faces from the last time they were here in 2006. The new ball combination of Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain will be vital for the Bangladeshis. Both have ODI bowling averages significantly better than their test figures, and are proven performers at international level. Both are still under 25 though and it is a big responsibility for them to bear.
In terms of their batting, the Bangladeshis have shown considerable promise in their warm up games against the AIS, with a number of batsmen posting half-centuries. Once the real games begin though, there will be a huge responsibility on the shoulders of Mohammed Ashraful, the 24 year old captain to take the attack to the Australian bowlers.
While the odds would still be strongly in favour of an Australian victory, with the absence of a number of key Australian players, this may be the best opportunity Bangladesh will have for some time to post a series win against the best team in the business.
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