SYDNEY, 10 July 2003 — Outspoken former Australian batsman David Hookes says Bangladesh don’t deserve to play Test cricket and has called on Steve Waugh’s world champions to humiliate them in their two Tests.

Hookes, now a television commentator, says there is the potential for this month’s first-ever Tests in Darwin and Cairns to turn into one-day events.

Australian cricket enthusiasts are anticipating a number of records to fall when the world’s best team takes on the worst in Darwin from July 18 and in Cairns from July 25.

“Steve Waugh should send them in to bat, bowl them out before lunch, bat until tea and declare, then send them back in and roll them again before stumps,” Hookes said yesterday.

“It could be all over and done with in a day. The reality is that Bangladesh don’t deserve to be in Test cricket and they certainly shouldn’t be given any favours out on the field.

“If the Australian team is being true to the Test cap, their aim will be to go out there and annihilate Bangladesh.”

Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has already revealed his side will show Bangladesh no mercy, setting the scene for what could be two of the shortest Test matches of all time — as long as Waugh doesn’t elect to bat too long.

“Nobody wants to see Australia go out there and score a thousand runs,” said Hookes.

Never before in 126 years of Test cricket has there been a result on the first day, but there have been 17 instances of two-day drubbings. The first was Australia’s seven-run win over England at The Oval in 1882 when Fred ‘The Demon’ Spofforth took 14 wickets, leading to the mock obituary for English cricket that appeared in a London newspaper and led to the creation of the Ashes. The most recent was Australia’s victory by an innings and 198 runs against Pakistan at Sharjah last October, when Shane Warne took eight wickets and Matt Hayden scored 119. The lowest Test innings total is New Zealand’s 26, made against England in Auckland 1954-55. The highest is Sri Lanka’s 952 for six declared against India at Colombo in 1997 when Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Anil Kumble went for 1-223.Some even claim that West Indian Brian Lara’s world record of 375 — made against England at St. John’s, Antigua in 1994 - will be under threat if Australia refuse to declare, as will Viv Richards’ record for the fastest Test century: 56 balls.

Bangladesh have lost 18 of their 19 Tests since their Test cricket debut in 2000, salvaging a draw against Zimbabwe two years ago when rain intervened.

Marsh Hits Out at

English Pitches

In Southampton, England, Zimbabwe’s Australian coach Geoff Marsh hit out at the state of English pitches yesterday claiming that they are a poor breeding ground for genuine top class bowlers.

“A lot of the wickets we’ve played on here this summer have given too much assistance to the faster bowlers,” said Marsh after a tour in which his side lost both Tests against England and failed to reach the final of the three-nation one-day series.

“I’m not saying this as an excuse for our batting performances - with our inexperience we would probably have struggled on better wickets.

“But playing on pitches offering generous seam and bounce can give a false impression of a bowler’s abilities,” said Marsh, the former Aussie batsman, coach and national selector.

“Don’t get me wrong, England have a good pace attack with Gough, Anderson, Johnson, Harmison and Hoggard,” he added.