Cricket: Australia unable to explain loss to Bangladesh

CARDIFF - Australian captain Ricky Ponting was at a loss to explain his team's form after being beaten by Bangladesh for the first time.

Australian cricket plunged to a new low when it lost to Bangladesh in today's tri-series one-day match at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens ground.

The minnows posted their greatest ever win -- just their 10th from 108 matches -- when they overhauled Australia's 5-249 with five wickets and four deliveries to spare.

The win sparked triumphant scenes in the Bangladesh dressing room and among the pro-Bangladesh crowd, who raced on to the ground to celebrate.

Bangladesh finished on 5-250.

At the presentation ceremony, Ponting said Australia had little time to find a fix to its woeful start to the tour.

"It's not a great start for us, there's no doubt about that ... we have got a lot of thinking to do but not much time to do it, we have got a game tomorrow (against England)," he said.

Bangladesh had the better of the conditions with the ball doing a lot early on, he said, though batsmen Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke did a good rescue job.

Ponting said while the Australians' fielding had improved from the last game, the Bangladeshi batsmen won the match.

"It's up to each and every one of us in the side to lift our games."

He would speak to the selectors and management team on the bus trip home from Wales, he added.

Before today Bangladesh had won just six one-day matches against Test-playing nations, four of them over fellow battler Zimbabwe.

It is currently the bottom-placed side on the International Cricket Council rankings, even below Kenya -- which does not have Test status.

Australia's world champion side was left red-faced and suffered a black eye at the end of horror week early on its Ashes tour -- following successive losses to England and county side Somerset.

The hero for Bangladesh was 20-year-old batsman Mohammad Ashraful, who struck a magnificent 100 -- his maiden one-day hundred from 100 balls, only the second limited-overs century by a Bangladeshi.

He and captain Habibul Bashar (47) put on 130 for the fouth wicket, which set the Bangladeshis up for their greatest cricketing moment.

The underdogs, who were a 16-1 shot at the start of the day, still needed 38 runs to win from the final five overs, 23 when Ashraful was caught in the deep, and then seven off Jason Gillespie's final over of the match.

Aftab Ahmed (21 not out) struck a six off the first ball of the over and then he and partner Mohammad Rafique (nine not out) scampered through for a single to spark wild scenes of celebration.

Australia's loss continued its disastrous early run at the start of the Ashes tour, which has included losses to England (Twenty20) and county side Somerset and a minor shoulder injury to paceman Brett Lee.

In further bad news, batsman Andrew Symonds faces a disciplinary investigation for breaking team rules last night.

Symonds was suspended from this match when it was revealed during the warm-up that he had transgressed.

Symonds, 30, will have to explain himself to captain Ricky Ponting, vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, team manager Steve Bernard and coach John Buchanan in Bristol tonight.

On today's showing, Australia needs a desperate improvement to beat England tomorrow in Bristol -- the first real clash this tour of the Ashes combatants.

- AAP