Ricky Ponting found his form to help Australia avoid further embarrassment and put them in good heart for tomorrow's NatWest Series final against England at Lord's.
The captain's 66, his first half-century in this trinations event, set Australia on course for a six-wicket win at Canterbury after he had scored only 62 runs in four limited-overs international innings this summer.
On a day which featured more troubled times for Australia opener Matthew Hayden and half-centuries for Bangladesh's Shahriar Nafees (75) and Khaled Mashud (71no), Michael Clarke's unbeaten 80 and Ponting ensured that the World Cup holders got past a target of 250 for eight.
Bangladesh's last stand on their tour was an encouraging one as they pushed the Australians much harder than they had the hosts in three attempts.
Hayden --set to escape official censure over allegations that he swore at a child in a guard of honour at Edgbaston on Tuesday --scored only one tun and dropped a routine slip catch.
Bangladesh's innings stuttered before it was resuscitated by Nafees and Mashud. Opener Nafees provided some muchneeded substance in his maiden half-century while Mashud's career-best innings ensured a testing total was salvaged from the wreckage of 19 for three.
The reply was in trouble thanks to Hayden's early departure. Adam Gilchrist gave himself out despite appearing to miss an attempted drive and then Damien Martyn was caught at the wicket.
Ponting gradually found his touch in a hard-working 95-ball innings which featured only five fours and ended with an aerial pull to deep mid-wicket off Mortaza.
But Clarke, with whom the captain shared 85, hit an 80-ball half-century and found an expert 'finisher' in Andrew Symonds with a match- clinching effort.
