Australia Defeats Bangladesh in Two Days to Draw Test Series

Australia defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 51 runs inside two days in the second Test match in Mackay, drawing the two-match series 1-1. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc produced a dominant bowling performance, taking ten wickets in the match to help dismiss Bangladesh for 95 runs in their second innings shortly after the tea break on the second day of play at the Great Barrier Reef Arena.

The match concluded after exactly 125 overs of play, establishing it as the fourth-shortest completed Test match in cricket history to end with a victory. Australia’s bowling attack overwhelmed the visiting team on the second day, bowling them out in 38.3 overs. Starc took four wickets for 39 runs in the second innings, supported by team captain Pat Cummins, who claimed three wickets for 10 runs, and spin bowler Nathan Lyon, who finished with three wickets for 25 runs. Lyon sealed the win by taking Bangladesh’s remaining two wickets in the space of three deliveries.

Bangladesh experienced immediate difficulties at the start of their second innings, losing both of their opening batters inside the first eight overs as they fell to 24 runs for the loss of three wickets. A wider collapse occurred during the afternoon session, leaving Bangladesh at 95 runs for eight wickets by tea. Batter Shanto made the highest individual score for the visiting team in their second innings, scoring 31 runs.

Earlier on the second day, Australia added 45 runs to their overnight total before being bowled out for 210 runs in their first innings. Middle-order batter Cameron Green top-scored for Australia with 67 runs, while Lyon added 32 runs without being dismissed to secure a first-innings lead of 146 runs. Left-arm fast bowler Shoriful Islam stood out for Bangladesh, recording bowling figures of seven wickets for 48 runs.

Starc finished with match figures of 10 wickets for 51 runs, having taken six wickets for 12 runs during Bangladesh’s initial innings of 64 runs. The performance brought Starc’s total to 445 Test wickets, placing him 10th on the all-time Test wicket list, 126 wickets behind Lyon in sixth position. Starc was named both player of the match and player of the series after finishing with 12 wickets at an average of 12.08 across the two games.

Addressing the team’s quick recovery following their previous performance, Cummins stated that “a lot of things went right these couple days.” Starc also noted that the team delivered the standard they expected, saying, “What we expect of ourselves this week is what we got.”

Background

The two-match series concluded level at 1-1 following an unexpected result in the opening game. In the first Test played in Darwin, Bangladesh secured a nine-wicket victory over top-ranked Australia, a result widely regarded as one of the largest upsets in Test cricket history.

Australia’s next scheduled fixture in Test cricket is a three-match tour against world Test champions South Africa, set to take place in October.