Test minnows Bangladesh face the unenviable task of trying to compete with the towering in-form Australians in a two-Test series starting here on Sunday.
Bangladesh, who have improved as a one-day side over the past few years but have yet to prove themselves as a Test team, take on a side fresh from a 3-0 Test series win in South Africa.
Australia are without Glenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer and Shaun Tait but that should have little bearing on the outcome of the series.
Bangladesh will try to take inspiration from their shock victory over Australia in a one-day series in England last year, but to translate that success into the longer version of the game is improbable considering their limited resources.
Ponting, who had been quoted as saying earlier this year that teams like Bangladesh did not deserve to play Test cricket, said he had made the comments without looking at it with proper perspective.
Bangladesh, whose solitary win in 42 Tests came against a depleted Zimbabwe team last year, are hoping to improve their show after having lost both their previous Tests to Australia by innings margins in an away series.
THE TEAMS (from):
BANGLADESH: Habibul Bashar (capt), Khaled Mashud, Javed Omar, Rajin Saleh, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahriar Nafees, Nafees Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Enamul Haque, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel.
AUSTRALIA: Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Phil Jacques, Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark.
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