Bangladesh lost their inaugural two-Test series against Australia 2-0 and are without a win in their three-year, 21-match history.

"I thought their batting was a lot better than a lot of efforts by the West Indies in recent years and Pakistan in Sharjah," Waugh said.

Australia bowled Pakistan out for 59 and 53 in the second Test at Sharjah last October to win by an innings and 198 runs.

Waugh won the toss in the second Test on Friday and sent Bangladesh in to bat and the tourists reached 155 for one, suffered a middle-order collapse before recovering to score 295.

They followed up with 163 as opener Hannan Sarkar top scored in both innings for Bangladesh with 76 and 55.

Australia smashed 556 for four declared in their first innings and won by an innings and 98 runs.

"To be none for 50 on that first morning, we expected to have three or four wickets at least," Waugh said.

"They left the balls a lot better, their body language was good. They took balls on the body and didn't flinch, so I think they are well on the way," he added.

"It's easy to write off a side because they've lost by an innings again (15th time in 21 Tests). I know as a player that they have improved a lot."

PLEASING PROGRESS

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore said he was pleased with his inexperienced side's progress against the game's top-ranked team.

"Well we stretched the game out to a day longer than we did in Darwin (in the first Test). I thought there was definite improvement," Whatmore said.

"To fight back and get 295 in the first innings I thought was excellent.

"Playing against that quality of opposition is not easy. Maybe against other opposition in future it might be just that little bit easier and we can progress."

Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to their World Cup triumph in 1996, said his players had shown strong discipline in keeping out Australia's pacemen Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath for periods of the match.

"Most people were talking about the pace battery of the Australian team but the person who won man of the series and got the most wickets (17) was the spinner," Whatmore said of leg-break bowler Stuart MacGill.

"I think maybe we didn't apply the same amount of effort against the slower bowler as we did against the quicks."

Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud said his players had approached the second Test in a positive frame of mind.

"We tried our best to prove ourselves, to fight hard on the ground. I think that has been one of the good things that has come out of this series against the best team in the world," he said.

"Definitely when we go to Pakistan (next month) we will have a good performance behind us."