Sydney, June 26: Steve Waugh has admitted his Australian cricket team by necessity will be under-prepared when it faces Bangladesh in the first test in Darwin next month. The Australians, resting after a tour of the West Indies just weeks after their world cup success in South Africa, will go into the test without a practice match or a training camp. Bangladesh, on the other hand, will have three lead-up matches on its first tour of Australia. Waugh said he was not too concerned about the lack of preparation against the weakest of the 11 test-playing nations. "I'm assuming the guys who played both the tests and one- dayers in the west Indies won't be picking up a bat or a ball until next week at least", Waugh said today.

"I think we'll be scratchy and not that well prepared... But the guys are used to that now and they know how to get themselves prepared, but it won't be an extensive build-up.

"It's a pretty low-key preparation coming into a test series -- there's no practice matches, there's no camp -- but it's difficult to keep having those things when the guys are away from home so much".

Bangladesh has lost 18 of its 19 tests since being admitted to the international fold in 2000.

The inequity of modern cricket where Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are struggling to keep up with Australia and South Africa has prompted a review of the game by the International Cricket Council. Last week ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said the idea of a two-tier test system with a promotion- relegation would be investigated.

Bureau Report