Australia Faces Bangladesh in Second Men's Test, Day One

Australia faced Bangladesh on the first day of their second Test match at Mackay on August 22, 2026. Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision that quickly paid off as they reduced Bangladesh to just 64 all out.

The day began with Bangladesh’s batting collapsing—Shadman Islam was dismissed for a duck in the very first delivery, bowled by Mitchell Starc. Bangladesh struggled throughout their innings, succumbing to the Australian bowlers. Starc's initial spell was instrumental, taking four wickets, while Pat Cummins also contributed with three dismissals. The first session ended with Bangladesh languishing at 21 for 6.

As Bangladesh batted, wickets fell at regular intervals. Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das both fell cheaply; Das was LBW to Starc without scoring. The top order failed miserably as Mominul Haque and Shanto both went back to the pavilion swiftly. Bangladesh's innings ended in just 29 overs, setting a low target for the Australians.

In reply, Australia's innings started shakily, losing Renshaw for just 8 runs early. Shoriful Islam, who had an exceptional spell for Bangladesh, continued to wreak havoc, dismissing both Travis Head for 22 and Marnus Labuschagne for just 4, leaving Australia at a precarious 41 for 3. As the tea break approached, Australia found themselves at 50 for 3, still trailing by 14 runs, with Steve Smith and Cameron Green at the crease.

Despite the early drama, Australia remained confident, with ample batting still to come. Bangladesh, on the other hand, needed to maintain their pressure to avoid a further collapse. The match remained finely balanced heading into the latter part of the day, with contributions from Smith and Green crucial to Australia's efforts to recover from a tough start.