Lee hat-trick in Australia romp

By Jamie Lillywhite

Brett Lee took the first Twenty20 international hat-trick as Australia crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets with 37 balls to spare in the Super Eights.

The Tigers raced to 53-4 in four overs against South Africa but were 18-0 at the same stage here and totalled 123-8.

Lee yorked Mashrafe Mortaza and trapped Alok Kapali for his treble and Nathan Bracken struck twice in two balls.

Adam Gilchrist hit four sixes and Matt Hayden nine fours and three sixes in 73 off 48 balls as the Aussies eased home.

There were some rare moments of Australian profligacy, Mitchell Johnson sending down successive no-balls and Gilchrist fumbling a slower ball to allow byes.

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But Bangladesh seemed uncertain how to approach their innings and were too often reluctant to attack with the same bold approach they delighted spectators with against South Africa.

Even the running between the wickets seemed indecisive and lacking conviction.

Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting quickly showed the way with a superb low reflex catch at short cover, parrying Nazim Uddin's fierce drive and collecting the rebound diving forward.

Tamim sliced to cover having struggled to 32 from 40 balls and it was not until the 16th over that Saqibul Hasan swiped the first six.

Having hit seven sixes against the South Africans, that proved to be the only maximum in this innings.

Lee's hat-trick was only the 10th overall in Twenty20 matches across the world.

There could have been a twist in the tale had Kapali held on to a sharp slip catch to his left in a superb opening over of the Australian reply bowled by Mortaza.

Hayden muscled the first six in only the second over, adding successive fours in the next as the scoreboard began to motor.

It was rather reminiscent of a sixth-former big for his age playing against the first years.

Hayden stormed down the wicket like an angry parent chasing his daughter's boyfriend and bludgeoned the ball to all corners.

Over-confidence proved to be Gilchrist's downfall as he fell just short in pursuit of two, having danced down the wicket and lofted a towering six off the previous ball.