Mitchell Starc claimed four wickets in the second innings and ten across the match, tearing apart Bangladesh’s batting lineup to deliver a dominant innings and 51-run victory for Australia in the second Test — all wrapped up within two days on Sunday. Bangladesh had arrived in Mackay riding a wave of momentum after stunning the world’s top-ranked side by nine wickets in the Darwin opener. That confidence, however, was swiftly shattered as they crumbled to 64 in their first innings and 95 in the second. The outcome leveled the two-match series. Starc Took 10 Wickets as Australia Blitzed Bangladesh in Just Two Days.
TOSS
Australia won the toss and elected to bowl.
PLAYING XI
Bangladesh:
Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
Australia:
Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (w), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
DAY 1
Pat Cummins didn’t hesitate after winning the toss, sending Bangladesh in without a second thought — and Starc wasted absolutely no time making his presence felt. He struck on the very first delivery of the match, edging Shadman Islam behind to gully. Wickets fell in rapid clusters, with four of the top six dismissed without troubling the scoreboard, leaving Bangladesh in ruins at 12 for 5 within the first seven overs.
Starc’s sharp pace and relentless movement with the new ball gave the batters no room to breathe, and he had dismantled five of them in just 22 balls before Mushfiqur Rahim’s stubborn resistance denied him a hat-trick opportunity. A brief recovery emerged midway through the innings when Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud managed to see out the first session, carrying Bangladesh to a fragile 35 for 6 at the break. But that reprieve was short-lived. Cummins struck twice after lunch, Hazlewood chipped in with a wicket of his own, and Starc returned to mop up the tail — completing a breathtaking 6 for 12 from 10 overs, a haul that also pushed him past Dale Steyn’s landmark of 439 Test wickets.
Bangladesh were bundled out in just 34 overs, their innings wrapping up less than an hour into the second session. Only some gutsy contributions from the lower order spared them the indignity of falling below their all-time lowest Test score of 43 against the West Indies.
Despite underwhelming returns from the returning Matt Renshaw, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s reply appeared composed and unhurried. For a time, they looked set to cruise through the day in complete control. Steven Smith and Cameron Green made batting seem almost effortless on a pitch that had been treacherous all morning, working the ball into gaps with soft hands and punishing anything short or straight to push the scoring rate above five an over. The pair shared a 77-run fourth-wicket stand from just 108 balls.
Then Shoriful Islam changed everything. Already the top scorer in Bangladesh’s innings with 14, having also removed Head and Labuschagne, the left-armer rediscovered the discipline and movement that had powered Starc’s destruction earlier. He made the pivotal breakthrough, trapping Smith LBW for 42 right at the drinks break in the final session.
That dismissal marked the turning point. What had been a comfortable Australian afternoon unravelled into chaos. Alex Carey charged down the pitch and miscued a length ball to mid-on, leaving Australia teetering at 145 for 5. Then came a stunning collapse — three wickets for three runs — as Shoriful dismissed Beau Webster and Pat Cummins for ducks before fittingly clean bowling Starc to complete a remarkable six-wicket haul.
Through all the mayhem, one man remained an island of calm. Cameron Green batted with the same clarity and composure he had first showcased in his return-to-form century at Darwin. His unbeaten 51 was a true gem, chiseled out on a pitch that had tormented virtually every other batter. His resilience ensured Australia closed the day 101 runs ahead — a lead that, considering the carnage of the opening day, had every reason to feel decisive.
DAY 2
Australia added 45 runs to their overnight total of 165 to reach 210, setting a commanding lead of 146 that Bangladesh never came close to threatening. After losing a couple of early wickets on the morning, Cameron Green — who had finished the previous day unbeaten on 51—extended his innings and forged a valuable 38-run ninth-wicket stand with Nathan Lyon, who contributed a handy 32 not out to push the total past the 200-mark. Shoriful Islam claimed a seventh wicket to register the finest figures ever recorded by a Bangladeshi pace bowler in Test cricket.
Starc picked up the new ball and was among the wickets as early as his second over, striking on back-to-back deliveries to remove Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque for 1 and 0 respectively. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto denied him a hat-trick, but Cummins soon struck at the other end, sending back opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim to leave Bangladesh in deep trouble at 24 for 3.
Shanto, the fourth wicket to fall, top-scored with 31 out of Bangladesh’s total of 51 at the time of his dismissal, with Lyon joining the wicket-taking fun. The procession continued well into the second session, with no lower-order batter managing a double-digit score.
Litton Das became Starc’s tenth victim of the match, and Cummins returned to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud in consecutive overs. Lyon then cleaned up the tail within three balls of the final session to claim a three-wicket haul himself, sealing Bangladesh’s second-innings total of just 95 and wrapping up a convincing innings victory for Australia.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh 64 (Mitchell Starc 6-12, Pat Cummins 3-25) & 95 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 31, Mushfiqur Rahim 29; Mitchell Starc 4-39, Pat Cummins 3-10, Nathan Lyon 3-25) lost to Australia 210 (Cameron Green 67, Steve Smith 42; Shoriful Islam 7-48) by an innings and 51 runs
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