Fresh off a humiliating 9-wicket defeat in the first Test match at Darwin, hosts and current league leaders in the WTC standings Australia would like to bounce back harder when they take on resilient and determined Bangladesh in the second Test match of this two-match series. For this match, the bandwagon moves to Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Mackay is yet to host a Test match. It has hosted limited overs games before, so the conditions will be unknown to both teams one must say.
Australia under Pat Cummins will look to bounce back and have no choice if they want to draw the series 1-1. The Aussies have made one change to their squad dropping Jake Weatherald and bringing back in Matt Renshaw. Renshaw is set to open the batting alongside Head as confirmed by head coach Andrew McDonald. Bangladesh will have Shoriful Islam available and he may come in place of Ebadot Hossain. Tanzid Hasan is under an injury cloud due to neck issues and he could be replaced by Soumya Sarkar. Bangladesh will definitely fancy their chances in this Test match.
We are set for an intriguing second and final Test in Mackay where the Aussies will come hard at Bangladesh and the tourists’ head coach knows that and has warned his team.
Overview
The stage is set for the second and final Test match of this 2-match series as hosts and under pressure Australia takes on Bangladesh at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay which is hosting its first Test match ever. Australia down 0-1 in the series will be eager to prove a point and come back harder at Bangladesh who will be prepared for it according to their head coach Phil Simmons. Bangladesh will fancy their chances of beating Australia and complete a historic 2-0 series triumph. But it will be easier said than done, to say the least.
It was a historic Test match for Bangladesh cricket as they humbled Australia by 9 wickets in Darwin. The Aussies won the toss and elected to bat first on a challenging deck and then struggled. Apart from Steve Smith’s 71, everyone else struggled to be bowled out for 198Â with Hasan Mahmud finishing with a 6-wicket haul. Bangladesh in reply responded strongly posting 426 on the board with a maiden Test ton from Tanzid Hasan. Najmul Hossain Shanto the captain made 84, Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 65 and Mominul Haque made 49.
Josh Hazlewood did pick up a 6-wicket haul but the Tigers had a first-innings lead of 228 runs. In their second innings, Australia made 284 with Cameron Green scoring a ton while Steve Smith scored 44, and couple of 30s from Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey. Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up a five-wicket haul while Hasan Mahmud followed his six wickets in the first innings with 3 in the second innings to end with 9 in the match. Bangladesh were set a target of 57 runs to win the contest.
Bangladesh lost Tanzid Hasan early but the duo of Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque ensured there were no more hiccups, with Mominul hitting a square cut behind point for a boundary to give the side a historic 9-wicket win, first on Australian soil and a 1-0 lead in the 2-match Test series. Australia were left shell-shocked and did not know what hit them as they were outplayed in all the facets of the game.
Australia made one change to their 13 as they dropped Jake Weatherald and brought in Matthew Renshaw. We can now confirm that Australia have made only one change to their playing XI with Renshaw replacing Weatherald as they have announced it. The Aussies have decided to retain Nathan Lyon and not go with an all-pace attack featuring Scott Boland in place of Lyon. Instead, the bowling group will remain same and Marnus will get another Test to prove himself.
For Bangladesh, they are expected to have the services of Shoriful Islam with them and so if he plays, he will slot in replacing Ebadot Hossain. Tanzid Hasan is suffering from neck issues. While they expect him to be fit, but incase he doesn’t, then Soumya Sarkar might open the batting with Shadman Islam. Apart from these minor changes, we see Bangladesh going with a similar side.
On paper, Australia are still the better side but nothing is won on paper. Australia have to play well to level the series 1-1. Can they do it? Only time will tell as the stage is set for the second and final Test at Mackay.
Head-T0-Head
Australia and Bangladesh have played against each other in a total of 7 Test matches with Australia leading 5-2. But Bangladesh won the last Test match in Darwin apart from a win in Mirpur, Dhaka in 2017. Which way is it going to go this time? Only time will tell.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Great Barrier Reef Arena is expected to offer good bounce and assist fast bowlers early on, though it traditionally plays fair for batting as the match progresses. It is expected to be a lively, pace-friendly red-ball wicket that will encourage seamers from both sides. Despite early expectations of an all-seam strategy, veteran spinner Nathan Lyon retained his place in the Australian XI, indicating that turn could become a factor later in the Test.
On Day 1, the weather is expected to be bright, sunny and clear with a high near 24 degrees Celsius, low around 14 degrees Celsius, and O% chance of rain. Perfect conditions for the opening day’s play. Days 2 & 3 will have partly cloudy skies with a light, passing shower chance (30-35% precipitation risk) and daytime highs around 24 degrees Celsius. Minor interruptions are possible, but significant washouts are unlikely. On Days 4 & 5, conditions clear up back to mostly sunny and pleasant with temperatures peaking at 25-26 degrees Celsius.
Announced/Predicted Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will show you the predicted/announced playing XIs of both sides.
Australia XI: Matthew Renshaw, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Bangladesh XI: Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan/Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Steve Smith: Based on what we saw in the first Test, Australia are still dependent on Steve Smith. Smith is undoubtedly their best batter and will have to do well again and lead from the front. Being the vice-captain of the side, he will look to score the runs as he is the linkage between the top and middle order players. He scored 71 and 40 in Darwin and would like to convert starts into big scores.
Josh Hazlewood: Josh Hazlewood bowled his heart out and had a great game in Darwin from an individual’s point of view. He picked up 6 wickets in the first innings and then picked up the only wicket to fall in the second innings. Hazlewood who was under pressure coming into the first Test match, will want to stand up and deliver again alongside Cummins and Starc.
Mominul Haque: Mominul Haque is one of the more experienced campaigners for Bangladesh and is the most successful players as far as scoring tons go. He scored 49 in the first innings and then in the second innings scored the winning runs. He has been in decent form and with Tanzid may be missing this Test match, his role at 3 could become crucial in seeing whether Bangladesh post a good total or not.
Hasan Mahmud: The chief destroyer for Bangladesh in the first innings, Hasan Mahmud will be the player to watch out for in this Test match. How he follows up his 9 wickets in the match to this Test match will go a long way in helping Bangladesh do well. If Hasan can keep up that same intensity and come out all guns firing, then Australia will definitely feel the heat in Mackay.
Key Stats and Records to look at ahead of this match
- The Great Barrier Reef Arena is set to become Australia’s 12th Test venue. It is also the third Test venue, after the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba and Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, to make its Test debut in 2026.
- Steve Smith is 50 runs away going to third position on Australia’s all-time run-scoring table. Steve Waugh, with 10.927 runs is just above him, with Allan Border (11,174) and Ricky Ponting (13,378) further ahead.
- Bangladesh won a Test in Australia in their third attempt, the shortest time taken by a team from the sub-continent in the country. India and Pakistan needed 12 and 7 Tests, respectively.
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the second off-spinner to take a five-wicket haul in Australia in this century.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
It’s tough to predict a winner now after what happened last week in Darwin. We feel this Test match can go either way. Having said that, we still feel that, looking at both teams, Australia will still start as favourites and look to level the series 1-1. But Bangladesh will believe they can pull off another upset, another heist. There is no reason why they can’t if they play good cricket like the Last Test.
A lot at stake in this Test match, and we can’t wait for it to get started on Saturday.
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