Saturday, August 30 2008 -- In the first ODI match in the 3 match series between Australia and Bangladesh, the hosts, Australia won the match by 180 runs. Australia are leading the series 1-0.

The match was played on the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin. After Bangladesh won the toss and put Australia to bat, they found it difficult to get the Aussies out and Shaun Marsh and Hussey went on to play huge scores of 76 and 85 runs each. Even with the Australian biggies like Andrew Symonds, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Mathew Hayden missing from action they managed to put up a score of 254 runs at the loss of 8 wickets. Bangladesh’s Shahadat Hossain claimed 3 wickets giving away 42 runs in the 6 overs that he bowled. Coming on to bat, Mohammad Ashraful’s team struggled to make a stand and lost quick wickets to White (3/5), Greeves (2/11) and Johnson (2/10). The visitors were all out for just 74 runs in 27.4 overs as the Aussies paraded through the Bangladeshi batting line up.

Australia’s Symonds was sent back and not allowed to play the ODI’s as he missed the team meeting while he had gone fishing. The Aussie team was criticized as being under-prepared with the two test matches that were supposed to be a warm up for the ODI series getting cancelled.