Aussies wary of Bangladesh upset
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Australia has vowed not to underestimate Bangladesh in their three-match one-day series starting on Saturday despite appearing to hold all the aces.
All three games are being played in Darwin, the series originally scheduled as a Champions Trophy warm-up before that tournament was postponed due to security concerns over the host country Pakistan.
Despite being without captain Ricky Ponting, opener Matthew Hayden and leading paceman Brett Lee, the defending World Cup champions are expected to be far too strong for Bangladesh.
However, Australian seamer Nathan Bracken said the hosts would not take their opponents lightly, having been beaten by them in Cardiff in 2005.
"They've done it before so, yeah, we've got to go out and play well," he said.
"We're off a break, we're I guess under a bit of pressure and it's up to these guys now.
"It's up to us to put our hands up and perform well and basically if they play good cricket we have to match it."
Only two of the Australians who played in the Cardiff match, Australia's only defeat in 13 one-day matches against Bangladesh, are in their 13-man squad for this series - interim captain Michael Clarke and his deputy Mike Hussey.
Bracken said he expected the conditions in Darwin to suit his swing bowling.
"The Australian A team said it swung up here a bit early in the morning," he said.
"So hopefully it we get the chance to bowl early we can utilise that and it would actually give me more of a chance to get a few early wickets and hopefully just bowl well."
The Australians have lost just six of their last 36 one-day internationals, but were upset by India in their home tri-series finals earlier this year.
Hayden's absence could allow injury-plagued all-rounder Shane Watson to open the batting, with wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin another option.
Uncapped Tasmanian seamer Brett Geeves was called into the Australian squad to replace Lee and could make his international debut.
Australia:
Michael Clarke (c), Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Brad Haddin, Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, James Hopes, Cameron White, Brett Geeves, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken.
-AFP
