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WORLD Cup hopefuls Bangladesh gave Hong Kong a taste of things to come by romping to an 111-run win over the territory at the Kowloon Cricket Club yesterday.

 After making 260 for nine in their 50 overs, Bangladesh were always in control and dismissed Hong Kong for 149 in the last over of the day to take a 1-0 lead in the three-game series for the Dragonair Cup.

 The second match takes place at the KCC today and the third at the Hong Kong Cricket Club tomorrow.

 After warming up for the three-game series with a six-wicket win over the Hong Kong Cricket Association's Invitational XI at the HKCC on Thursday, Bangladesh stepped up a gear yesterday.

 While their batting promised big things, only Akram Khan scored a half-century. He arrived at the crease with the total on 92 for four and his unbeaten 82 not only held the innings together but lifted Bangladesh to their match-winning score.

 The tourists' bowling was a delightful mixture of spin and pace and this was supported by sharp fielding.

 It was not hard to see why Bangladesh have been tipped to win one of the three qualifying places for the 1996 World Cup limited overs competition from the ICC Trophy in Kenya next February and March.

 As for Hong Kong, the sudden leap from Sunday League cricket to playing against a well-drilled group of young professionals was too much to handle, although the territory have the players to give Bangladesh a much tougher test in the next two games.

 Hong Kong skipper Pat Fordham, who will miss today's match because of his wedding to former Hong Kong hockey international Sandy Ramsay, said: ''These games against Bangladesh are a learning experience for us; that is why we asked them to come here.

 ''Along with Holland, Bermuda and Denmark, Bangladesh will be one of the top teams in Kenya next year and will be there or thereabouts for the World Cup.

 ''By playing against them it gives us an idea of how much we need to improve and in what areas. These guys are very good to learn from because they play a very disciplined game of cricket.

 ''We didn't see the best of their early batting but their bowling is good and varied and their fielding is magnificent.

 ''While we have players such as Steve Atkinson and Stewart Brew who can handle it at this level, it is good experience for the others to have to fight for every single run - and to find out that what is considered an acceptable level of fielding in Hong Kong is not acceptable in the World Cup.''  Hong Kong were up against it from the moment opening batsman Steve Atkinson was dismissed for nought, clean bowled by a real shooter off the artificial wicket from Nowsher.

 Although left-hander Mark Eames compiled a patient 56 in 147 minutes - only his second half-century for Hong Kong in around 20 appearances spanning five years - the run rate had risen from 5.2 at the start to eight an over at the halfway stage, when Hong Kong were 62 for two.



Harsh lessons for HK's part-timers