Australia will be happy with the lead but Bangladesh will take confidence from their late fightback
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Bangladesh celebrate after a successful day out with the ball in the 2nd Test against Australia(Credits: X)
Australia staged a terrific turnaround against Bangladesh on day one of the series concluding second Test at the Great Barrier Reef arena, days after losing the opening match by 9 wickets in DarwinIt was a chaotic day which saw 18 wickets fall on the first day itself with both teams evidently struggling to score runs with the bat.
Mitchell Starc and Shoriful Islam took six wickets each as more than a dozen of wickets fell on a dramatic opening day on SaturdayAustralia ended the day at 165 for eight, holding a 101-run lead after the Bangla Tigers got bowled out for just 64.
The Aussies needed a fresh start after the first Test loss and skipper Pat Cummins had no hesitation in sending Bangladesh to bat first after winning the tossMitchell Starc got into the act immediately as he set the tone with the very first ball of the match, removing Shadman Islam for a golden duck.
FIVE WICKETS IN 22 BALLS BY MITCHELL STARC🤯 pic.twitter.com/STxTq4wTFS
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 22, 2026
It was the fourth time in Test cricket’s 149-year history that Starc scalped a wicket off the very first ball, going past former West Indies pacer Pedro Collins, who had done so three times in his career.
Mitchell Starc would then tear through the Bangladeshi batting order, taking five wickets in just 22 balls, which is also the sixth fastest in Test cricket’s historyAfter getting Shadman off the first ball of the day, Starc named Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed cheaply.
Starc’s spell was also significant in his Test careerIt was his sixth five-wicket haul in Tests and another standout performance after he reached 400 wickets last year.
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood accounted for three and a wicket each as Bangladesh were bowled out for just 64 in 34 oversThis was the fourth lowest total of the Bangla Tigers in the longest format.
In the second innings, Australia looked set for a huge first-innings lead but Bangladesh fought back in style through Shoriful IslamReturning after missing the first Test with a hamstring injury, the left-arm seamer produced his best figures of 6-35He removed Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith as Australia’s top order struggled.
Steve Smith made 42 and shared a 77-run stand with Cameron Green but Bangladesh struck again late in the dayAustralia slipped from 161 for four to 165 for eight as four wickets fell for three runsGreen remained unbeaten on 51, with Nathan Lyon on 10.
Another bowler to cross 5 wickets for Bangladesh in Australia.
Shoriful Islam registers his best #Test figures of 6/35 in ongoing 1st innings in 2nd #Test vs Australia.#Cricket #AUSvsBAN #BangladeshCricket | @BCBtigers @ICC
VIDEO: pic.twitter.com/xxBLXnODq9
— The CricHub (@thecrichub_live) August 22, 2026
Australia will be happy with the lead but Bangladesh will take confidence from their late fightbackDay two of the second Test will start from 5:30AM (IST) onwards.
