In a dominant display of fast bowling that secured a resounding series-leveling victory, Australia bounced back from one of the biggest upsets in modern Test cricket to defeat Bangladesh by an innings and 51 runs in the second Test in Mackay, finishing the two-match series tied at 1-1. Led by left-arm pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, who claimed a match-winning 10 wickets for just 51 runs, Australia wrapped up victory just after the tea break on day two at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, capping off one of the shortest completed Test matches in cricket history with only 125 total overs bowled across the contest. The result reversed Australia’s shocking nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh just a week prior in Darwin, a loss that shocked the cricket world as the world’s top-ranked Test side fell to the underdog visitors.
Starc’s performance was nothing short of historic. The 36-year-old fast bowler tore through Bangladesh’s first innings on day one, claiming 6 wickets for only 12 runs to restrict Bangladesh to a dismal total of 64 all out. He followed that devastating spell with four more wickets in the second innings to cap his 10-wicket match haul, cementing his status as one of the greatest fast bowlers to ever play the game. With this performance, Starc climbed to 10th place on the all-time list of leading Test wicket-takers, reaching 445 career wickets – the most wickets ever taken by any left-arm fast bowler in Test history.
After being bowled out for 210 in their first innings (with Cameron Green notching a team-top 62 runs and Nathan Lyon adding an unbeaten 32), Australia secured a critical 146-run first innings lead. Bangladesh’s left-arm paceman Shoriful Islam turned in an incredible individual bowling performance for the visitors, claiming 7 wickets for just 48 runs to keep Australia’s total lower than many expected. But Shoriful’s standout effort was not enough to lift his side to victory.
Bangladesh’s second innings got off to a disastrous start, losing both opening batsmen inside the first eight overs to slump to 24 for 3. A mid-session collapse left them 95 for 8 by the tea break, and Lyon finished the contest by taking the final two Bangladesh wickets on three consecutive deliveries. Captain Pat Cummins chipped in with 3 wickets for 10 runs in the second innings, while Lyon also finished with three second-innings wickets to support Starc’s dominant performance.
Following the match, Starc was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Series, after finishing the two-match contest with 12 total wickets at an extraordinary average of just 12.08. Reflecting on the team’s turnaround after the Darwin defeat, Starc noted that the side had fallen short of their own high standards in the first Test, but delivered the performance they expected of themselves in Mackay, aided by a pitch that favored fast bowling.
“Much better week. We knew we weren’t at our best, or what we expect of ourselves, in Darwin,” Starc said. “What we expect of ourselves this week is what we got, particularly with the ball and the wicket that aided us with the ball.”
Cummins echoed that sentiment, praising his side for a sharp, consistent performance that never let Bangladesh gain a foothold in the match after Australia’s strong start. “A lot of things went right these couple days and a lot of things went wrong last week,” the 33-year-old captain said. “We needed to bounce back, and it was a great couple of days from the lads. I thought everyone was sharp. It was a great start and we didn’t really let up after that.”
For Bangladesh, Shoriful’s 7-wicket haul and a 31-run knock from opener Shanto were the only bright spots in a match that ended in an innings defeat inside two full playing days. The result levels the two-match series 1-1, after Bangladesh claimed the upset win in the opening Test. Australia will next turn their attention to a three-match Test tour of world Test champions South Africa, set to kick off in October.