MACKAY, Australia – After a career-defining six-wicket haul in the first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh, Australian left-arm pace spearhead Mitchell Starc extended his dominance over Bangladesh’s batting lineup on Day 2, leaving the touring side reeling at 39 for three wickets by the lunch break in their second innings.
The 33-year-old fast bowler, who turned in one of the most devastating opening day bowling performances in recent Test history to finish with staggering figures of 6 wickets for just 12 runs on Saturday, picked up right where he left off on Sunday morning. Starc claimed two wickets in back-to-back deliveries to break Bangladesh’s top order, cementing Australia’s overwhelming early advantage in the match hosted at Mackay, in tropical northern Queensland.
At the mid-session break, Bangladesh held an overall deficit of 107 runs behind Australia’s first innings total. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten on 23 runs, with veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim yet to find his rhythm at four not out when play paused for lunch.
Bangladesh managed to survive Starc’s first over of their second innings without loss, but luck quickly ran out in the paceman’s next frame of bowling. Shadman Islam, who had scored just one run, edged a slipping catch away to first slip where Marnus Labuschagne completed the straightforward take. On the very next delivery, former Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque, who had not added to the scoreboard, left a ball that zipped through to rattle his off stump, gifting Starc his second consecutive wicket.
Australian captain Pat Cummins joined in the wicket-taking spree shortly after, removing Tanzid Hasan for nine runs with a catch taken on the boundary by a fielder.
The day’s action opened with Australia resuming their first innings on 165 for eight wickets. Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon combined to add a valuable 28 runs for the ninth wicket before Bangladesh’s standout bowler Shoriful Islam claimed his seventh wicket of the innings. Shoriful, who had already taken six first-innings wickets on a chaotic opening day, delivered a blistering inswinging yorker that struck Green on the front foot. The on-field decision of out was upheld on review, ending Green’s innings.
Green’s knock of 67 runs from 105 deliveries, marked by 10 boundaries, stands as the highest individual score of the series to date. It comes on the heels of his breakthrough maiden home Test century in the opening match of the series in Darwin.
After Green’s dismissal, Lyon and Josh Hazlewood pushed Australia’s total past the 200-run mark before Hazlewood hit a mistimed sky-high catch off the bowling of Taijul Islam, who finished with figures of 1 wicket for 17 runs. That brought Australia’s first innings to a close at 210, handing the hosts a 146-run first innings lead.
Notably, Shoriful’s first-innings figures of 7 wickets for 48 runs mark the best bowling performance by any Bangladesh player in a Test match played on foreign soil.
Australia is aiming to level the two-match Test series after an upset nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the opening Test last week. This two-test “Top End” series kicks off a packed 12-month Test schedule for Australia, which will see the national side play 20 Test matches, including away tours to South Africa, India and England over the coming year.