Australia's Glenn McGrath gestures during the Super Eight match against Bangladesh in St. John's, yesterday. - Reuters

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua (AP):

AUSTRALIA PACEMAN Glenn McGrath became the World Cup's all-time leading wicket taker yesterday and helped thrash Bangladesh by 10 wickets in a Super Eight match.

The 37-year-old McGrath took three wickets at Antigua's Sir Vivian Richards Stadium as his team restricted Bangladesh to 104 for six in a match reduced to 22 overs per side because a wet outfield forced a late start.

The man-of-the-match took the two wickets he needed to overtake Wasim Akram's record 55 inside the first six overs, clean bowling opener Shahriar Nafees and having Aftab Ahmed caught. He then got rid of Mohammad Ashraful to finish with 3-16 from his five overs and an overall tally of 57.

"When you're playing long enough you're going to get a record here or there, but Wasim Akram to me is one of the best bowlers of all time," McGrath said. "To go past him is something pretty special."

easy win

Adam Gilchrist then clubbed 59 from 44 balls, while Matthew Hayden (47) finished it with successive sixes to lead Australia to 106 without loss, passing the target in just 13.5 overs.

Mashrafee Mortaza and Saqibul Hasan had top scored for Bangladesh with only 25 each.

Two-time defending world champions Australia top the Super Eight standings with a maximum six points and are seemingly coasting to a place in the semi-finals. They have eight days to recover ahead of their next match, against traditional rivals England on April 8.

That may give Shane Watson time to recover from a calf strain that forced him to leave the field after bowling just 10 balls.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting had won the toss and the match started five hours late after sunshine dried the turf following heavy overnight rain.

Nathan Bracken began Australia's dominance as early as the third over, removing Tamim Iqbal for one. Bracken lured the 18-year-old prospect, who hit a half century in an opening win over India that ultimately earned Bangladesh's place in the second round, into gifting Brad Hogg a catch at mid-on.

McGrath then made it 8-2 when he uprooted the stumps behind Nafees.

Ahmed and Hasan tried to launch a counterattack, with Ahmed smashing 11 off seven balls - including a six - before Bracken leapt to take a mid-air catch at mid off and make it 25-3.

Treating the match like Twenty20 in an attempt to set a decent total, Ashraful then holed out to Ponting. The captain had to jog backward to take a catch looking into the sun.

"They had to come out and score some quick runs," McGrath said. "I just tried to mix it up, tried to get a few in the right area and it came out pretty well for me."

Hasan and captain Habibul Bashar shared a 28-run partnership before Hasan swung at a wide delivery by Shaun Tait and got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist - making it 65-5 with fewer than six overs left.

Australia brought back McGrath for his final over in an attempt to help finish off the innings, but Mortaza instead clubbed a bouncing delivery with an improvised hook shot for four.

partnership broken

In the next over, Mortaza smashed a six off Andrew Symonds back over the bowler, but Bracken then dislodged the stubborn Bashar for 24, breaking an innings-high 32-run partnership.

Bangladesh managed 10 more runs off the last five balls, not enough to prevent Australia from having a modest target which they easily reached.

Openers Gilchrist and Hayden each survived early chances. An edge from Hayden just failed to carry to slip and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim was unable to gather another by Gilchrist.

Gilchrist punished the mistake with an innings containing eight fours and a six, the latter completing his 50th one-day century.

Hayden, whose tournament-high total of 395 runs is just 109 fewer than the entire Bangladesh team combined, completed the rout with a pair of sixes that meant Hasan conceded 14 runs from just five balls.

Bangladesh, who remain without a point in their first second-round appearance after two previous attempts, also had to deal with a bowling injury when Tapash Baisya hurt his ankle.

Baisya, who only played when he was named to replace SyedRasel, had been hit for 13 from five balls of an over when he got hurt he twice tried to finish the over, he had to pull out each time.

He then threw the ball to the ground and trudged off the field.