Wet conditions force abandonment

Australia 151 for 2 (Gillespie 28*, Ponting 19*, Jaques 66) trail Bangladesh 197 by 46 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Lightning and thunderstroms struck Chittagong forcing the second day's play to be abandoned © Getty Images

Thunder, lightening and a sharp shower brought an abrupt end to the Australian charge to take control of the second Test. Only 22.4 overs were possible on the second day, during which Australia managed to close in on the meagre Bangladesh first-innings total losing only one more wicket.

Phil Jaques, was the only man to fall, but not before he had reached his maiden Test fifty. Singled out by Steve Waugh as one of Australia's next-generation cricketers, he batted with Waugh-like purposefulness Jason Gillespie, the night-watchman, combined dour defence with occasional bursts for fours and Ricky Ponting merely carried on from his last innings before weather intervened.

Though the sky cleared up for a while in the afternoon, the umpires found the outfield unfit for play. The match will now start half an hour early for the next days to partially make up for the seven hours that were lost today.

Bangladesh appeared to go through the motions in the morning, confirming apprehensions they were treating this match as a lost cause. Only Shahadat Hussain looked threatening in a brief spell, during which he hit Jaques on the body and knocked out Gillespie's bat.

Once again, it fell on Mohammad Rafique to provide Bangladesh the breakthrough. He threw one up outside the off stump and Jaques, perhaps just to break the monotony of the day, went for a slog sweep but ended up top-edging to square leg. But so far, rains have provided the only comfort to Bangladesh.