Hookes calls for Australia to 'annihilate' Bangladesh

The former Australian batsman David Hookes has come down heavily on Bangladesh's cricket status, saying that Steve Waugh's Australians should humiliate them in the two-Test series that starts next week.

Hookes, now a prominent television commentator, sees a possibility of both Tests turning out to be one-day affairs. "Steve Waugh should send them in to bat, bowl them out before lunch, bat until tea and declare, then send them back in and roll them again before stumps," he said. "It could be all over and done with in a day. The reality is that Bangladesh doesn't deserve to be in Test cricket and they certainly shouldn't be given any favours out on the field."

Hookes added: "If the Australian team is being true to the Test cap, their aim will be go to out there and annihilate Bangladesh."

Australia, Test cricket's strongest side, take on Bangladesh in two Tests - starting at Darwin on July 18 and Cairns on July 25 - in a series that could see many new records set.