Aussies dominate shortened day

Only 22.4 overs were possible before the heavens opened on the second day of the second Test match against Bangladesh. Although the rain abated after a couple of downpours, much of the ground was waterlogged and play was abandoned for the day. The shorter day was again dominated by Australia. The Australians were able to add a further 75 runs to their score for the loss of only one wicket. That wicket was Phil Jaques, who departed after notching up his maiden Test half-century.

Jaques played some fine shots on the way to 66 from 97 balls although he did not take any undue risks until he was dismissed, going for a slog-sweep, to give Mohammad Rafique his second wicket of the innings. He hit eight boundaries and one six, a pull shot off the bowling of Shahadat Hossain. Meanwhile, Jason Gillespie played his role to perfection, offering a dead bat to almost everything while the bulk of the scoring was done at the other end.

The dismissal of Jaques brought the in-form Aussie skipper to the crease, although he wouldn’t have felt too positive having been reported to the match referee by the Bangladeshi team management. Despite this, Ponting looked comfortable during his short stay out in the middle, hitting two boundaries in his unbeaten 19. His arrival even prompted Gillespie to liven up proceedings with a couple of fours just as the rain came.

The Bangladeshi bowlers were largely unthreatening throughout the day. Both teams gave the feeling that they were just going through the motions while waiting for the inevitable rain to ruin the day. However, Shahadat Hossain was able to trouble the batsmen at times although he did not get any rewards for his effort with the breakthrough coming from the veteran, Rafique.

Despite losing over 60 overs of play due to the weather, the Aussies still hold all the aces in the match. It will be a very difficult task for Bangladesh to come back and challenge Australia from the position they are in, while the Aussies still have strong batting to come and a five-man bowling attack to throw at Bangladesh.

Bangladesh 197
Rajin Saleh 71, Khaled Mashud 34*
Jason Gillespie 2-47, Shane Warne 3-47

Australia 151-2
Phil Jaques 66, Matthew Hayden 29
Mohammad Rafique 2-30