It is rare that Test cricket, let alone any cricket, takes place in August in Australia, but such are the times with busy scheduling that we will see a 2-match Test series in August. Both these Tests will be part of the WTC 2025-27 campaign as hosts Australia takes on Bangladesh in the first Test starting on 13th August, 2026 at the Marrara Cricket Ground, in Darwin. The second Test will take place at the Great Barrier Reaf Arena in Mackay from 22nd August.
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Australia, led by the evergreen Pat Cummins, are placed at the top of the points table with 87.50%, with one loss coming against England during Ashes 2025/26 at the MCG last summer. The Aussies have won 7 out of 8 Tests and will look to solidify their top spot with tougher round of fixtures lying ahead. Bangladesh, under Najmul Hossain Shanto, are placed in 4th spot with a decent 56.22% but they have played 4 matches, 2 in each series. They lost and drew against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka while beating Pakistan 2-0 at home. They have a tough round of fixtures as well.
Bangladesh visit Australian shores for the first time since 2003. Where Aussies clean-swept Bangladesh by 2-0 in Tests. It’s going to be a massive challenge for them against the Aussies. The stage is set for an interesting battle in Darwin.
Overview
The stage is set for Test cricket to take place on Australian shores in the month of August as Australia hosts Bangladesh in a two-match series, with the first one starting on 13th August, 2026, at Marrara Cricket Ground, in Darwin. Australia, the 2023 WTC champions and last edition’s runners-up, are well-placed at this stage in the points table with 87.50%.
Aussies occupy the top spot with 7 wins in 8 games, with the solitary loss coming last summer at the MCG against England. They beat West Indies 3-0 before beating England 4-1 in the 2 series they have played so far in this cycle.
But the Australians know they have a tough road ahead after the Bangladesh series. While no opponent should be taken lightly, Bangladesh is an easier opposition compared to what’s coming up for the league leaders. Australia have a 3-match away series against defending WTC champions South Africa who are at the moment in 2nd place in the table.
Aussies then host New Zealand in a 4-match series in the December-January period. The Aussies then will travel to India to face them in a 5-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January-February. India are no longer a force at home, but it’s still going to be a difficult assignment for Australia.
Australia also have a one-off Test against England at the MCG to mark 150 years of Test cricket, but that does not fall under the purview of the WTC. Australia have a full-strength squad at their disposal and will be led by their talisman skipper the evergreen Pat Cummins with Steve Smith acting as his deputy. The big four in the bowling are included, with Cummins partnering Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and wily spinner Nathan Lyon. Scott Boland is also part of the squad and will push the three fast bowlers to gain a spot in the XI.
The batting for Australia is a little brittle with Usman Khawaja now retired. So, Jake Weatherald is expected to open the batting with Travis Head. Marnus Labuschagne and Smith will occupy 3 and 4. Cameron Green and Beau Webster, the two all-rounders, may play together in the XI. Alex Carey will don the gloves; there is Josh Inglis in their ranks. Australia have picked 13 members for the first Test, and maybe Boland and Inglis may miss out of the original playing XI is what we feel.
The squad looks solid and should fancy their chances against Bangladesh. Bangladesh will be led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, who is now the most successful captain for Bangladesh. But he will have their task cut out against Australia in Australia. Bangladesh are placed in 4th in the points table but they have played only 4 matches in this cycle with 2 matches against Sri Lanka away, which they lost 0-1 while they beat Pakistan at home 2-0. There was one draw in the Sri Lanka series. Now, they have got a tough road ahead in 4 series all having 2-match series.
They are now playing 2 matches against Australia in Australia. Then in October 2026, they face West Indies at home, where the Tigers will fancy their chances of beating West Indies. Thereafter, in November 2026, they have to travel to South Africa for a 2-match series. Their last series will be at home against England in February 2027. Bangladesh last played on Australian shores in 2003.
Bangladesh have been rocked by injuries, with Nahid Rana ruled out of the series, which is massive for them. Shoriful Islam was also injured, but it seems he has recovered and might play the first game. If not the first game, then definitely he will play the second game. With Mustafizur Rahman not there, the onus will fall on Taskin Ahmed to spearhead the bowling attack. Hasan Mahmud is part of the squad, as are Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain, to name a few.
The spin options are Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz the all-rounder, although spin may not be a big factor at this time of the year. The batting is where Bangladesh will have to stand up to challenge the Aussies. In the warm-up game, the tourists, Bangladesh, were bowled out for 54 in the second innings to lose the game by an innings and 32 runs. While warm-ups are not taken seriously by anyone, but this capitulation is a cause for concern and Bangladesh has to erase this as soon as possible to do well in these Test matches.
Mushfiqur Rahim is also doubtful after injuring himself in practice. The whole batting will revolve around Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. There is Litton Das in their ranks, and so is Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar as well. Shadman Islam is also part of the squad. Mehidy Hasan Miraz will be handy down the order. But the Tigers need confidence and lot of them in their batting against a lethal Australian bowling attack to compete in the series.
The stage is set for an interesting battle that lies ahead.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Marrara Cricket Ground will be hard and dry tropical pitch with true bounce. Fast bowlers will get good carry and early movement, though it tends to flatten out and become solid for batting as the game progresses. Cracks and wear could assist the spinners later on days four and five.
The maximum temperature at Darwin will range from 31 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius, with pleasant night lows around 23 degrees Celsius. The conditions will be mostly sunny with clear skies. The rain risk is very low around 10-15% which means there are unlikely to be weather interruptions in this Test match.
Announced/Probable Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will show the announced or probable playing XIs of both sides.
Australia Announced XI: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Bangladesh Probable XI: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das (wk), Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash.Â
Travis Head: A dynamic left-hander at the top of the order, Travis Head will be expected to give Australia a flying start. If he gets going and builds the platform, it will make life easier for Australia and difficult for Bangladesh. He is a game-changer and can alter the course of the game any time. Head is always a key player to look at.
Mitchell Starc: Australia’s all-time great Mitchell Starc stands at 433 wickets and is on the threshold of history, passing Kapil Dev the legendary Indian bowler. Starc goes about his business quietly and is a match-winner for Australia as he showed in the Ashes 2025-26 when he single-handedly carried the attack. Expect the speedster to do well with his friends and colleagues back in the set-up.
Litton Das: Drafted into the side belatedly and after injury, Litton Das will be eager to make a point and do well for his side. With Mushfiqur Rahim injured and ruled out, the onus will be on Litton to do well and score the runs as he has shown he has the appetite to score the runs. It’s the consistency which he will be desperately searching for here for sure.
Taskin Ahmed: With Nahid Rana ruled out, Shoriful coming back from injury and Mustafizur not here, the onus will be on spearhead Taskin Ahmed to lead the pace attack. With pace expected to play a major part in this series, Taskin’s spell will be crucial. He needs to stay fit and on song so that he can take early wickets and put Australia’s brittle middle order under some pressure.
Key Stats and Records to look forward to in this clash.Â
- Test Cricket returns to Darwin for the first time since July 2023.
- Australia leads 5-1 against Bangladesh in 6 previous Test matches.
- Bangladesh has never won or drawn a Test match in Australia.
- Bangladesh has never managed a single first-innings total higher than 300 runs in Australia.
- Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon reunite in the same Test playing XI for the first time in over a year.
Predicted Outcome of the Match.Â
Cricket is a game of uncertainty and nothing can be predicted here. But looking at both sides and their preparations, it is safe to say that the home side Australia starts this game as favourites. Bangladesh have injury concerns to ponder about. It will take a miracle of sorts for Bangladesh to pull off a monumental upset and even compete. We fear their batting could collapse against the lethal Australian attack. So, taking everything into consideration, we will give Australia the favourites in this match.
Let’s see how this first Test pans out from 13th August, 2026 at Darwin.
Also Read:Â AUS vs BAN: Marnus Labuschagne Confident Of Turn Around