Day 2: Aus v B'desh

Hundreds from Darren Lehmann and Steve Waugh have all but sewn up victory for Australia in the opening Test against Bangladesh after only two days.

Resuming in a dominant position, Lehmann and Justin Langer looked to increase the scoring rate after a slow first hour of play.

Both batsmen were at times frustrated by the understandably negative tactics of the Bangladesh bowlers, but had just begun to break the shackles when Langer was trapped on the crease to a quicker delivery from leg spinner Alok Kapali and adjudged out lbw for a patient 71.

The entertaining Lehmann soon became the first player to score a hundred in a Test in Darwin and the first Australian to reach that milestone against Bangladesh.

But on 110, Lehmann managed to top edge a relatively harmless delivery from the impressive Mashrafe Mortaza and was brilliantly caught behind point by Javed Omar.

Lehmann's replacement, Martin Love, was unfortunate to receive perhaps the best ball of the day first up as Mortaza tore through the Queenslander's defences.

It then became the Steve Waugh - Adam Gilcrhist show, with the run rate suddenly lifting. Both batsmen punished a bowling outfit that was clearly struggling after spending several hours under the hot Northern Territory sun.

While Gilchrist (43) and Brett Lee (23) provided cameos, it was really Waugh who kept the crowd interested. The Australian captain completed his sequence of hundreds against every Test playing nation and declared with a massive lead of 310.

Although Bangladesh toiled manfully for much of the day, particularly in the early stages of the middle session, Australia's total of 7/407 was certainly justified.

The temproary exit from the field of stike bowler Mortaza, more through weariness than anything else, was a major setback. He had been the shining light in the Bangladesh attack, but was a shadow his earlier self when he returned to bowl just three more overs.

To their credit the Tigers' batsmen confronted the considerable challenge they faced with what looked like, but surely could not have been, a degree of confidence.

After being blasted out for just 97 on day one, Javed Omar's dismissal for just 5 had some observers suggesting the match could have been over by stumps.

But a brisk, unbeaten second-wicket stand between Hannan Sarkar and Habibul Bashar made it highly likely that the Test will run into at least the second session tomorrow.

SCOREBOARD:

Bangladesh 97
Australia 7/407 dec. (Lehmann 110, Waugh 100*, Langer 71, Mortaza 3/74)
Bangladesh 1/70 (Sarkar 29*, Bashar 26*, McGrath 1/9)

Stumps, Day Two.

Posted by JohnC