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'Bangladesh are well on their way': Waugh

Despite losing both Tests against Australia by an innings, Bangladesh did their reputation plenty of good

Wisden Cricinfo staff
28-Jul-2003
Despite losing both Tests against Australia by an innings, Bangladesh did their reputation plenty of good. They fielded and bowled with enthusiasm at Darwin, while the batsmen put up a much-improved show at Cairns. Here's what Steve Waugh, Khaled Mahmud and Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, had to say after the second Test.
Steve Waugh
"I thought their batting was a lot better than a lot of efforts by the West Indies in recent years and Pakistan in Sharjah. To be none for 50 on that first morning, we expected to have three or four wickets at least. They left the balls a lot better, their body language was good. They took balls on the body and didn't flinch, so I think they are well on the way.
"It's easy to write off a side because they've lost by an innings again. I know as a player that they have improved a lot."
Dav Whatmore
"Well we stretched the game out to a day longer than we did in Darwin. I thought there was definite improvement. To fight back and get 295 in the first innings, I thought was excellent. Playing against that quality of opposition is not easy. Maybe against other opposition in future it might be just that little bit easier and we can progress.
"Most people were talking about the pace battery of the Australian team but the person who won man of the series and got the most wickets was the spinner [Stuart MacGill]. I think maybe we didn't apply the same amount of effort against the slower bowler as we did against the quicks."
Khaled Mahmud
"We tried our best to prove ourselves, to fight hard on the ground. I think that has been one of the good things that has come out of this series against the best team in the world. Definitely when we go to Pakistan [next month] we will have a good performance behind us."