Mackay, August 22, 2026: Australia and Bangladesh witnessed a dramatic opening day in the second Test, with a staggering 18 wickets falling as Mitchell Starc and Shoriful Islam produced six-wicket hauls.
Australia won the toss and opted to bowl, and Starc made an immediate impact by dismissing Shadman Islam with the first ball. The left-arm pacer continued his remarkable spell, removing Tanzid Hasan, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque and Litton Das before completing a six-wicket haul.
Starc finished with extraordinary figures of 6/12 from 10 overs, while Pat Cummins claimed three wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for just 64. Shoriful Islam top-scored for Bangladesh with 14 runs.
Bangladesh, however, hit back strongly when Australia began their innings. Shoriful, returning after missing the first Test due to a side strain, dismantled Australia’s batting order with a superb 6/35.
Australia slipped to 165/8 by stumps, leaving them with a 101-run lead. Cameron Green provided crucial resistance and remained unbeaten on 51, while Nathan Lyon was not out on 10.
The first day belonged to the fast bowlers, with the difficult batting conditions making life challenging for both teams. Bangladesh had won the first Test of the two-match series, but Australia finished Day 1 in a position to take control of the second Test.
