Cricket: Bashar proud of Bangladesh effort; CRICKET.BANGLADESH captain Habibul Bashar hailed his side after coming close to pulling off one of the greatest upsets in Test history against Australia. The minnows dominated the early stages of the first Test at Fatullah but could not maintain the momentum and slipped to a three-wicket defeat. Captain Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting (born December 19 1974, in Launceston, Tasmania) is an Australian cricketer and current captain of the Australia national cricket team (for both One-Day International and Test cricket). saw Australia past their target of 307 with a patient unbeaten 118 after Bangladesh had been given renewed hope by taking two early wickets on day five. Australia had resumed needing 95 to win with six wickets remaining but Adam Gilchrist  Adam Craig Gilchrist (born 14 November 1971), nicknamed Gilly or Church,[1] is an Australian cricketer. (12) and Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (born 13 September 1969) is an international Australian cricketer, generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers ever [1]. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. (five) fell in the morning session. Nevertheless, just getting close represents a major push forward for Bangla- desh, who claimed a first-innings lead of 158. "It was a great Test match for us," Bashar said. "We had our chances but we just couldn't build on it. "We were looking to take a couple of wickets quickly in the morning and we did that but Ricky played well and he took the game away from us. "But we pushed Australia to five days and I think that's a great thing to achieve. Everyone is doing their job. Batsmen are getting runs and bowlers wickets. "We'll continue to do this. Now we have a couple of days and we will try again in Chittagong." Ponting, who hit his 31st Test century, played the role of anchorman just when his team needed him most. Following the dismissal of Warne, his 46-run partnership with Brett Lee Brett Lee (born 8 November, 1976 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian cricketer. Style Lee is an express bowler, one of the fastest the game has known, and is capable of bowling at 160 km/h (99 mph). Lee's fastest recorded delivery to date is 160.8 km/h (99. steadied the ship. And after Lee was dismissed for 29, the captain and Jason Gillespie (seven not out) guided the Australians home. It was too close for comfort for Ponting but he preferred to pay tribute to the vast improvements made by the hosts. "Bangladesh played some excellent Test cricket throughout this game," said the skipper. "Day one, they were terrific with the bat and we were all over the place with the ball. They have played very well. "We were off the mark a little bit, but for them to score 355 against us on the first day of a Test match was a terrific effort." |
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