A dramatic opening day of bowling dominance unfolded at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay during the second Test between Australia and Bangladesh. A total of 18 wickets tumbled across two innings as batters on both sides found scoring extremely difficult on a treacherous pitch. Mitchell Starc tore through the Bangladeshi top and middle order to bowl out the visitors for just 64 runs in their first innings. Bangladesh then mounted a spirited fightback with the ball, reducing Australia to 165 for 8 by the end of play. Despite losing eight wickets before stumps, Australia ended the day with a healthy 101-run lead.
Starc Dismantles Bangladesh Batting Lineup
Bangladesh suffered a nightmarish start after being sent into bat upon losing the toss. Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc led the destruction with a lethal spell, capturing 6 wickets for just 12 runs in his 10 overs. Both Bangladeshi openers, Shadman Islam and Tanjid Hasan, were dismissed without troubling the scorers. Mominul Haque managed only 9 runs before departing, while team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was trapped leg before wicket on his very first delivery for a golden duck.
Middle-order veteran Mushfiqur Rahim attempted to steady the innings by scoring 5 runs off 42 deliveries, but Pat Cummins eventually ended his patient resistance. Litton Das lasted just 5 balls before being removed without scoring. Lower-order contributions came from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who made 11, and Hasan Mahmud, who added 10. Shoriful Islam was the final player dismissed for a top-scoring 14 runs, leaving Taijul Islam unbeaten on 11 as Bangladesh collapsed to 64 all out in 33.6 overs. Alongside Starc's spectacular six-wicket haul, Pat Cummins picked up 3 wickets and Josh Hazlewood grabbed 1 wicket.
Bangladeshi Bowlers Fight Back Before Stumps
When Australia began their reply, Bangladeshi bowlers responded with equal intensity on a pitch offering assistance to the seamers. Australia found themselves under heavy pressure throughout their innings and lost wickets at regular intervals. By the end of Day 1, the hosts had reached 165 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Although Bangladesh managed to make deep inroads into the Australian batting order, Australia remains in the driver's seat of the match thanks to their crucial 101-run overall lead.
