Until a few days back, Andrew Symonds would not have been the most liked guy in the Australian dressing room. His off-field misdemeanours led to his suspension for the first two games of the Natwest series and even his contract with Cricket Australia seemed under threat. But two 'Man of the Match' award-winning performances later, things seem to be rosy for the burly all-rounder yet again. Symonds has been a crucial weapon in Ponting's armoury and his inclusion has made a big difference in turning around the fortunes of Australia, who were struggling at the beginning of the tour. A lot of credit for Symonds' success in international cricket must go to the Australian captain who forced his selection in the 2003 World Cup squad when many were against it. The rest, as they say, is history.
 

After his sensible match-winning knock against the Poms, Symonds spun his magic with the ball against the Bangladeshi batsman to end up with career best figures of 5-18 at Old Trafford. The pitch was expected to spin, no doubt. But at 113-2, with two set batsmen at the crease, Bangladesh looked set to give yet another fight to the Aussies. The pride of Bangladesh, Mohd. Ashraful, pummeled Brett Lee for 20 runs in an over. At the other end, newcomer Shahriar Nafees was also stroking the ball beautifully. Things were looking ominous and the anxiety on Ricky Ponting's face was evident. With the fast bowlers being dispatched to the fence too often, the skipper had no option but to turn to his slower bowlers. And thankfully for Ponting, they did the trick.

Brad Hogg might have been the premier spinner in the side. But as it turned out, Andrew Symonds ended up taking away most of the honours. He began by yorking Shahriar Nafees, who fell three short of a well-deserved half century. After that, there was no stopping the 30-year old, who seemed like a man on a mission. Bangladeshi captain Habibul Bashar fell first ball to a delivery that went straight through leaving Symonds on a hat-trick.

Having Bangladesh down on the mat, it was now up to the Aussie openers to finish off the job. Both Gilchrist and Hayden were short of runs in the Natwest series. With no pressure on them, this was the perfect opportunity to stroke their way back to form. And they did it in the only way they can, bludgeoning the hapless bowlers to all parts of the ground. All bowlers suffered at the hands of this dynamic left handed opening duo and only 19 overs into the innings it was all over. Both Gilchrist and Hayden remained unconquered on 66 as Australia proved that they are back with a bang.
 

Despite the thumping victory, there are still a few areas of concern for the Aussies though. Gillespie and Kasporwicz look completely out of touch, while Brett Lee still seems to be feeling his way back into international cricket. But they are getting better with every passing game and it should only be a matter of time before everything falls into place. The Aussies are peaking at the right time. England better watch out.