Australia were on target to record one of cricket's easiest ever wins after bowling out Bangladesh for a paltry 97 runs on the opening day of the first Test on Friday.

Australia were in complete control at the close having reached 121 for two after Bangladesh were bowled out within three hours of the start.

The hosts finished the day leading by 24 runs with eight first innings wickets in hand and chasing the prospect of victory inside two days.

Darren Lehmann was unbeaten on 51 with opener Justin Langer not out 40 after Matthew Hayden (11) and Ricky Ponting (10) both went cheaply.

Any hopes Bangladesh had of mounting a serious challenge against the world champions faded almost as soon as the match began when they were skittled out in just 42.2 overs.

The tourists offered little resistance with only four players reaching double figures, confirming pre-game predictions of a horribly one-sided contest.

Mohammad Ashraful top-scored with 23 and captain Khaled Mahmud making 21 but no-one else made any impression against a potent Australian attack.

Three players were out without scoring and just seven boundaries were hit during the entire innings as Glenn McGrath (3-20), Brett Lee (3-23), Jason Gillespie (2-27) and Stuart MacGill (2-21) wreaked havoc.

TERRIBLE START

Yet to win a match since being awarded Test status three years ago, Bangladesh made a terrible start after being sent in with opener Hannan Sarkar trapped leg before wicket for a duck in the fifth over when he padded up to McGrath.

Javed Omar and Habibul Bashar briefly steadied the ship with a 22-run partnership for the second wicket before Omar departed for five, gloving a steeply-rising delivery from Gillespie to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and triggering a top-order collapse.

Lee bowled Bashar for 16 then Al Sahariar Rokon for a duck before leg-spinner MacGill removed Alok Kapali without scoring as Bangladesh slumped to 40 for five.

Ashraful batted for more than an hour to compile a patient 23 before he inexplicably threw his wicket away when he pulled McGrath straight to Gillespie at fine leg just before lunch.

Mahmud and wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud added 27 for the eighth wicket after the re-start, the best partnership of the innings, to take the score along to 87-6 before another collapse saw the last four wickets tumble for just 10 runs.

EARLY SETBACK

Australia suffered an early setback to their reply when Hayden dragged a short ball from Mashrafe Mortaza back on to his stumps with the total on 13.

Ponting fell with the total on 43 when he was brilliantly caught in the covers by Bashar off Tapash Baisya but Langer and Lehmann quickly put Australia back in control with an unbroken stand.

Lehmann struck four boundaries and a six before bringing up his half-century in the second last over of the day while Langer, who had taken 32 minutes to get off the mark in an unusually cautious knock, hit four fours to finish the day 10 runs short of his 50.

Bangladesh first innings:
Hannan Sarkar  lbw b McGrath   0
Javed Omar  c Gilchrist b Gillespie  5
Habibul Bashar  b Lee   16
Mohammad Ashraful c Gillespie b McGrath 23
Al Sahariar  b Lee    0
Alok Kapali  lbw b MacGill   0
Khaled Mashud  lbw b McGrath   11
Khaled Mahmud  c Gilchrist b MacGill  21
Mashrafe Mortaza c Gilchrist b Gillespie 3
Tapash Baisya  not out   2
Manjural Islam  c Langer b Lee   1

Extras: (b 1, lb 5, nb 3, w 6) 15

Total: (all out, 42.2 overs) 97

Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-26 3-36 4-39 5-40 6-60 7-87 8-91 9-94.

Bowling: McGrath 13-6-20-3, Gillespie 8-1-27-2 (w-6), Lee 8.2-2-23-3 (nb-3), MacGill 13-4-21-2

Australia first innings:
J. Langer  not out   40
M.Hayden   b Mashrafe Mortaza  11
R.Ponting c Habibul Bashar b Tapash Baisya 10
D.Lehmann  not out    51

Extras: (lb 4, w 2, nb 3) 9

Total: (for two wickets, 45 overs) 121

Fall of wickets: 1-13 2-43.

Bowling: Manjural Islam 11-3-30-0 (nb-1 w-1), Mashrafe Mortaza 10-3-19-1 (nb-1 w-1), Tapash Baisya 6-2-8-1 (nb-1), Khaled Mahmud 7-0-25-0, Alok Kapali 8-1-25-0, Mohammad Ashraful 2-0-9-0, Habibul Bashar 1-0-1-0

To bat: S.Waugh, M.Love, A.Gilchrist, S.MacGill, B.Lee, J.Gillespie, G.McGrath