Campbell Thompson had a simple plan to clean up Bangladesh on Saturday morning in Darwin -- use the new ball, swing it and hit the stumps.
The 22-year-old South Australian pacer followed that “clear process” to perfection, taking six wickets in the morning session to finish with 8-25 and bowl Bangladesh out for just 54, handing the Cricket Australia XI an innings-and-38-run victory.
“To clean it up this morning, I had a clear process -- just try to use the new ball, swing it and hit the stumps -- and I was lucky enough to get a few wickets,” Thompson said, as quoted by cricket.au.com.
He had taken two wickets late on the second day before adding six more in the morning. Despite having played only one previous first-class match, Thompson repeatedly found the right length and forced Bangladesh's batters into mistakes.
For the Tigers, Tanzid Hasan’s 22 remained the only double-digit score in the second innings.
“I feel like I'm a new-ball bowler, so I'm just trying to swing the ball and hit the stumps, and I got lucky this time,” he added.
The result is an ominous warning ahead of a Test series -- beginning August 13 in Darwin -- against an Australian attack featuring Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Bangladesh's preparations have already been disrupted by injuries and selection changes, but with little time remaining, their response must now be clearer.
Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons said, "I trust that the guys are going to put in the work over this next three days to get us where we want to be for that Test match. Disappointing match, but we move on and we look forward to the Test match."