We're completely outclassed by Bangladesh, says Green after series defeat

Australia allrounder Cameron Green has conceded that Bangladesh outsmarted his side in all departments after the hosts secured a historic ODI series victory with a five-wicket win in the second match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Australia suffered a disastrous start after slumping to 0-3 inside the opening seven deliveries, a collapse Green admitted had a significant impact on the innings.

"Obviously, when you lose three wickets for zero, it's going to be tough to pull it back," Green said after the match. "But I thought we did a great job recovering through a few good partnerships. Marnus and Xavier were exceptional and helped us post a total we thought we could defend."

Despite the early setback, Green said the Australians remained focused on finding a way back into the contest. "We were trying to assess the conditions and work out what they were doing. Bangladesh's bowling has been high class and we were looking for a way forward," he said.

Dismissing the notion that Australia may have underestimated Bangladesh, Green praised the hosts for their recent form. 

"Not at all. We know Bangladesh have been playing some great cricket recently," he said.

The Australian all-rounder also welcomed the nature of the pitches used in the series, terming them as more familiar to his team than some other subcontinental surfaces. "These wickets are a lot more what we're used to than what we came from in Pakistan. It's rare to come to the subcontinent and see wickets with this sort of bounce. The wickets have been good and the cricket has been competitive," he opined.

Green reserved special praise for Bangladesh's bowling attack, which has repeatedly troubled the visitors throughout the series.

"The bowlers have been exceptional. They've got pace, they're very crafty with the new ball and they are very good powerplay bowlers," he said. 

Asked whether Australia's batting struggles were due to conditions or Bangladesh's quality, Green left little room for doubt.

"The bowling has been very good. We've just been outclassed by what they've been doing. We haven't quite had the same effect," he said.

"I think we've bowled reasonably well, but we've been missing that one batter who can go on and make a big score. We've been in both games, but we haven't had enough runs to defend."    �"AFP