Coach says Australia ‘let standards slip’ in shock Bangladesh loss

AFP | Darwin

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Coach Andrew McDonald admitted yesterday that Australia “let our standards slip” in a stinging first home Test loss to Bangladesh, but defended his ageing team saying they have “a fair bit of cricket left in them”.

Bangladesh pulled off a massive upset in Darwin on Sunday when they crushed the world’s top-ranked side, who were at full strength, by nine wickets.

Bangladesh had never won a Test in Australia before.

“We were poor this Test match,” McDonald said. “Any time you score (fewer than) 500 runs over two innings on that surface, we’ve got to make some improvements.

“It’s tough to accept. We let our standards slip.”

The sides meet for the second Test in Mackay on Saturday, with McDonald and the selectors facing some tough decisions as pressure mounts for change.