Match report
Steve Smith has played a lone hand as Bangladesh exposed Australia’s batting frailties on day one of the first Test in Darwin, before taking on their bowlers with class.
Bangladesh pace bowler Hasan Mahmud starred with 6 for 55 as Australia were bundled out for 198 in 53 overs at Marrara Stadium. It was the 26-year-old’s best Test figures in an innings.
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Bangladesh trail by 102 in Darwin
We’ll be back tomorrow, of course, with the OBO for Day 2. We’ve got a very interesting situation to ponder overnight. Could Bangladesh even think about an upset like this? If so, they will have to keep on delivering work of this quality.
See you later.
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Talk about Bangladesh’s day. Nobody was really expecting them to be able to come and compete in Australia, especially when their fast-bowling gun was ruled out with injury. Well, they’ve done much more than compete. They’ve humbled Australia, really, with the ball, dismissing the whole side for less than 200.
Then they’ve replied by knocking off almost half of those runs with the loss of just one wicket. There was no collapse. Now they’ll have a night to sleep, and return better rested to see if they can keep this going.
24th over: Bangladesh 96-1 (Tanzid 35, Mominul 32) Starc to finish the day, to Mominul, who also has no interest in anything but walking back into that dressing room unbeaten. Starc throws in an overstep to prolong the experience. Full toss on the thigh pad, turned to long leg, and Tanzid has to accept the run and face the last ball of the day. Blocked!
23rd over: Bangladesh 94-1 (Tanzid 34, Mominul 32) Hazlewood going around the wicket, back over the wicket… Tanzid is not interested in playing anything against him here, just wants to reach stumps, five minutes away.
22nd over: Bangladesh 94-1 (Tanzid 34, Mominul 32) Starc is back. Starts with a ball too full that gets taken off the pads for a run. Then a leg-side gift for four! Leg glance well played by Tanzid, then drops a run in front of gully. He’s played really well so far.
21st over: Bangladesh 88-1 (Tanzid 31, Mominul 29) There’s a fifty stand for these two, Bangladesh are challenging the Aussies. Tanzid defends until he sees width, and then instead of flaying it, he places it through point for four. Then there’s a no-ball that also coughs up a run.
20th over: Bangladesh 81-1 (Tanzid 28, Mominul 26) Oh, almost a caught and bowled for Lyon! He started his career with a screamer off his own bowling, to finish off his five-for in Galle. Even this late into that career he’s almost doing the same, full length to his right and the straight drive almost grazes his fingertips. Tanzid survives. Just before that, Lyon had bowled a really slow wide tempter, turning away sharply from the lefty. Comical, really, watching the batter think about chasing that, then visibly squashing the urge, resisting the demon, but only just. End of the over though, Mominul does get one to cut, and does so for four!
19th over: Bangladesh 76-1 (Tanzid 25, Mominul 24) Hazlewood is back, after four patchy overs earlier. Tanzid pulls for a run, looks comfy. Mominul glides two. At this score, Australia were four wickets down.
18th over: Bangladesh 73-1 (Tanzid 24, Mominul 22) This is good batting. Mominul skips down to plant Lyon over cow for four, then dashes a dropped single. Tanzid has a similar go, more of a slog against Lyon than his teammate’s shot was, but profits by three to the same gap. Eight from the over.
17th over: Bangladesh 65-1 (Tanzid 21, Mominul 17) Top shot from Mominul! Aggressive but this time it’s controlled: he watches Cummins’ bouncer all the way onto the face of his blade, placing the uppercut over the keeper. Four. Plays another short one well, armpit ball this time, Mominul rides the bounce down to fine leg for one. Australia were three down at this point. Tanzid launches into a pull, gets enough for two runs over the leg side field. Cummins bowling short a lot.
16th over: Bangladesh 58-1 (Tanzid 19, Mominul 12) Here’s Nathan Lyon, like Hazlewood returning from a long layoff. And like Hazlewood, he starts he with filth down the leg side but isn’t punished. Around the wicket to the lefties, his shape on the deliveries looks good at a first glance. Three from the over.
15th over: Bangladesh 55-1 (Tanzid 19, Mominul 9) Cummins is hopping back and forth, over and around the wicket, can’t settle on an approach yet. Tanzid misses a drive, then goes back to leaving, until he gets a ball straight enough to turn it for two.
14th over: Bangladesh 53-1 (Tanzid 17, Mominul 9) Overpitched from Green, low full toss, and Mominul checks his cover drive with perfect timing for four. Then a streakier one, very wide from Green, Mominul has to reach for it, and his cut connects with the toe of the bat, through the cordon gap. Catchable height though, bad shot to hit and hope. He gets away with it for four.
Bangladesh are more than quarter of the way to Australia’s score.
13th over: Bangladesh 45-1 (Tanzid 17, Mominul 1) Choosing his moments. Tanzid leaves, defends, then goes after one wider ball from Cummins and smacks it through cover for four!
12th over: Bangladesh 41-1 (Tanzid 13, Mominul 1) Barely has to play at this over from Green, Mominul leaving everything outside the line of the stumps, even though one ball is closer than the others.
11th over: Bangladesh 41-1 (Tanzid 13, Mominul 1) Cummins now, and Mominul plays him perfectly, in that he drops the ball into the off side and gets off strike. Tanzid faces the rest of the over: a short ball, some angle across, a couple at the stumps. Still two left-handers batting, this Bangers team is chockers with them.
10th over: Bangladesh 40-1 (Tanzid 13, Mominul 0) Cam Green gets an early bowl, before Cummins. Must just be about choice of ends. But the Green choice brings a flicker of a chance, Tanzid driving airborne behind point for a lucky four.
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9th over: Bangladesh 36-1 (Tanzid 9, Mominul) So it’s Mominul Haque, a serious player at three, who needs to adapt to batting in Australia now. Almost lbw before he can blink, but he gets a nick on the ball that hits his pad, and Travis Head tanks the conversation of a review by insisting that he heard it. Well done.
With that wicket, Starc’s career tally reaches the iconic Kapil Dev number, 434. Starc is now six wickets from the top ten. He’s also the most prolific left-armer now, passing Rangana Herath’s 433.
WICKET! Shadman c Lyon b Starc 20, Bangladesh 36-1
Finally, Australia get one. Starc getting a little frustrated, but he bowls straight and Shadman looks to clip through midwicket. Instead the leading edge loops towards point, and Lyon makes amends with a catch tumbling forward.
8th over: Bangladesh 34-0 (Shadman 18, Tanzid 9) Really nice from Shadman, takes Hazlewood off the pads through midwicket for a couple more. Haven’t seen much seam movement from Hazlewood, or menacing bounce. There’s a little more lift from the fifth ball of this over. The sixth, though, is belted down the ground! Walks at Hazlewood and flat-bats him back the other way, four.
7th over: Bangladesh 27-0 (Shadman 16, Tanzid 5) Starc trying to bowl full at the stumps, errs with a big full toss that Shadman calmly places through midwicket for three runs, nearly making the rope but just pulled back. I like a player who can calmly dispose of a fully instead of trying to murder it.
6th over: Bangladesh 24-0 (Shadman 13, Tanzid 5) It hasn’t been a case of slotting straight back into the game for Hazlewood. Comes around the wicket, bowls very wide of off stump. Starts to get his line back towards the back of this third over. A nip-backer to Tanzid hits the pad. Scoreless over.
5th over: Bangladesh 24-0 (Shadman 13, Tanzid 5) Now we’re up and running! Shadman gets the first boundary of the day, driving Starc square behind point. Then adds another, this time off the pads through midwicket! Neither shot was laced, both roll gently to the rope, but he’s found the gaps well enough to profit. Tanzid, inspired, drives three through mid on, as Bangladesh take a dozen from the over.
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4th over: Bangladesh 12-0 (Shadman 4, Tanzid 2) Tapped to cover for a single early by Shadman. Tanzid is watchful through the rest of the Hazlewood over.
3rd over: Bangladesh 11-0 (Shadman 3, Tanzid 2) Sir Donald Shadman! First runs of the day from a genuine shot for Bangladesh, as Shadman gets forward and on-drives Starc for three.
2nd over: Bangladesh 8-0 (Shadman 0, Tanzid 2) Hazlewood back for the first time in a long time. “No doubt he’ll be right on the money,” says Alyssa Healy, just before Hazlewood bowls down the leg side and gives away a bye. Four more extras from a ball that clips the pad of Tanzid Hasan away to the fence.
Tell you what, Nathan Lyon is rusty too. Huge leading edge from Tanzid, looking to clip through leg but it goes high over point, Lyon tracks back and drops the chance. Doesn’t even really touch it in the end. The first two runs off the bat come in terrible style.
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1st over: Bangladesh 0-0 (Shadman 0, Tanzid 0) Two left-handers opening up for Bangladesh, and they do better than Rory Burns: they survive Mitchell Starc’s first over. Good swing from Starc, bowls a couple of full balls that curl and threaten the pads, but some jabbed bats get in the way.
Second innings of the match, let’s go.
Australia all out 198 in the first innings
Some people just tuning in will be doing a double take at that score. Australia bowled out for 198 by Bangladesh, their lowest dismissed score against this team in the few matches they’ve played against one another. It’s a huge achievement.
Now comes the hard part. Bangladesh got rolled over for 50-something by the warm-up team the other day. Their batting has often been a weak point, especially against pace in bouncy conditions. Can they pull together some way to handle Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins?
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WICKET! Lyon c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud, Australia all out 198
53rd over: Australia 197-9 (Lyon 7, Hazlewood 3) Hasan tries to bowl length for a couple of deliveries to Lyon, then the yorker, then the bouncer, and Lyon’s pull shot goes straight up in the air. Six wickets for Hasan! His best figures in Tests, his third five-for, and surely the least expected. He’s rissoled Australia on their home turf, albeit turf they don’t often see themselves. Used the conditions, was consistent enough, and he’s profited with a set of figures that nobody can ever take off him.
52nd over: Australia 197-9 (Lyon 7, Hazlewood 3) The last pair have a swing now, not much to lose and a few runs to gain. Lyon clouts a pull for four, Hazlewood guides Taskin over slip with an uppercut for a couple.
51st over: Australia 189-9 (Lyon 2, Hazlewood 0) Currently 5 for 54 for Hasan Mahmud, that’s an achievement.
WICKET! Smith c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 71, Australia 189-9
Yuck, yuck, yuck. The spread field tactic, how I hate thee, but Smith is only going to encourage it by walking into this trap. Everyone is back bar a slip and a gully. Fourth ball, the fielders start drifting up. Smith tries to force the pace from that ball with the short of shot he might play for Washington Freedom: a forehand smash after charging a short ball, looking to flat-bat that over cover I think, but his balance was way off, he’s leaning towards the leg-side as he swings, and the whole thing is utterly hideous. Smith throws away a chance at a hundred with the tail, Bangladesh get the one that really matters, and now they can keep Australia under 200 with one good ball.
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50th over: Australia 189-8 (Smith 71, Lyon 2) Taskin Ahmed from the other end, Smith is annoyed at missing out on a boundary – his cut shot spins back off the ground into the cordon. He takes the single fourth ball of the over. Bangladesh still have most of their fielders back.
49th over: Australia 188-8 (Smith 70, Lyon 2) Back after tea with the opening quicks, Hasan first, and Bangladesh want to burn through these last two Australian wickets. Nathan Lyon looks pretty comfortable though, flicking a good yorker off his pads behind square for two.
Tea - Australia 183-8
What a scoreline! Bangladesh are on top, though they still have to make that count. A really good start to the day with their pace opening burst, four wickets in that session, then another four in this one that just came from consistency and some Australian mistakes. Rust aplenty in some of those shots. Smith is well set though, and could yet add a ton against the only opponent he doesn’t have one again. Centuries against seven other countries. He’s never played Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, or Ireland, and given Cricket Australia’s dismissive scheduling, he never will.
48th over: Australia 183-8 (Smith 67, Lyon 0) Smith does just that. Throws his doubtless clean and dry gloves at width from Ebadot Hossain, and flashes it through the cordon gap down to the fence. Not only does it go for four, the return injures Litton behind the stumps, hits him on the end of the finger. A delay for treatment, then Ebadot hits Smith on the thigh pad and very inadvisedly pleads with his captain for a review. Says that it hit Smith on the knee. “Knee roll?” an incredulous Smith can’t help replying to the bowler. “What game are you watching?” The Bangladesh cordon are chuckling.
47th over: Australia 176-8 (Smith 60, Lyon 0) Smith will need to get more adventurous, with only Lyon and Hazlewood to bat.
WICKET! Starc c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 1, Australia 176-8
Now Bangladesh can start to believe! There will be no stubborn innings from Starc today. He gets a pretty average delivery, angled across him from the right armer, and he doesn’t need to do anything with that, can just watch it sail by, but he doesn’t. His body weight is leg side but he still reaches out, without any footwork towards the ball, and just pokes at it. There’s a nick, and it’s taken.
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46th over: Australia 176-7 (Smith 60, Starc 1) Starc gets his first run for the day, punched straight. Taijul nearly gets him later in the over though, a nice bit of turn into the left-hander that goes through the gate and almost brushes the off stump. See, left-armers can bowl to left-handers…
45th over: Australia 172-7 (Smith 58, Starc 0) Now to focus on the next target. Starc has won matches for Australia with the bat before, including during the recent Ashes, and he’s just the type to do it again, supporting Smith. Blocks out the rest of Hasan’s over.
WICKET! Cummins c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 9, Australia 172-7
The bowling change works! Another Australian down, a bit of bounce outside the off stump from the Bangladesh quick, but the ball isn’t short enough to cut, and it’s close to the body. Cummins plays a big cut shot anyway, and a great honking top edge announces itself in the stump microphone before the ball lands in the keeper’s gloves.
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44th over: Australia 171-6 (Smith 57, Cummins 9) The skipper does have a dip! Mid on is up, so Cummins gets the boot out the way and pops Taijul over the top for four. The only scoring shot of the over, though.
43rd over: Australia 167-6 (Smith 57, Cummins 5) Taskin back, Smith gives Cummins strike, and Cummins jumps to ride it off his hip to long leg for two. He’ll need to score rather than just batting time, the captain, to make sure Australia get to a more reliable total. On the face of it, an Australian team with even 250 on the board would be confident against Bangladesh in home(ish) conditions, or at least conditions foreign to the visitors. Bangers have to bowl them out for under 200 to make the most of this start. Streaky from Cummins though, who gets an inside edge from a big drive, one run.
42nd over: Australia 163-6 (Smith 56, Cummins 2) Just a single from Taijul’s over, as the game settles for a beat.
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41st over: Australia 162-6 (Smith 55, Cummins 2) Another decent over from Taskin, but some bad luck sees Smith score five runs off the middle of his boot. Drops the ball to leg, attempts a single, and the throw at the non-striker’s end hits the running Smith and deflects to the boundary.
Half century! Steve Smith 50 from 76 balls
40th over: Australia 157-6 (Smith 50, Cummins 2) A cover driven single from Taijul, and Smith raises Test fifty number 45. He can drop that stat back to 44 if he turns this one into a ton, and he seems well set for that today.
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39th over: Australia 154-6 (Smith 48, Cummins 1) So another rescue job is needed from the captain, and another repair job required from Smith. Bangladesh in the game, but they’ve been in plenty of games over the years that they have let slip. Still a lot of work to do here against Australia’s determined tail.
WICKET! Webster b Taskin Ahmed 12, Australia 153-6
What a beauty! Webster looked in great touch his first few balls, crisp as a slice of Granny Smith apple, but Taskin Ahmed has chomped him in half! Perfect length, a whisper of angle in at the stumps, and a whisper of movement away, and Webster defends down the wrong line, allowing the ball to sneak past his outside edge and hit the top of off stump. Taskin is walking on air.
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38th over: Australia 151-5 (Smith 46, Webster 12) Two right-handers at the crease, at last, and Bangladesh turn immediately to their left-arm spinner. Taijul Islam, though, could have warmed up more. Starts with a floating spongy full toss, and Steve Smith clouts it, just using the delivery rather than attacking it too much, over deep midwicket for six! Not the way to start your bowling day. Taijul bowls another that does pitch, and dips nicely, but it’s too full and Webster is able to stroke it through cover for four.
37th over: Australia 138-5 (Smith 38, Webster 7) The wicket doesn’t slow the scoring any, as Beau Webster gets in and gets busy right away. Square drive for four, like the ones that Smith struck a few overs ago, after cover driving for two.
WICKET! Carey b Ebadot 19, Australia 129-5
First ball after drinks! As we’ve seen it so many times before in the long game, the break brings a breakthrough. A bit of angle across the left-hander, a bit of nibble back into him, and Carey pushes at that ball with a fractionally angled bat, playing it back onto his leg bail on the bounce. Fifth wicket in the pocket for Bangladesh.
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Thanks Jim. Australian Test whites, eh? Or creams. Jam first. We haven’t seen any of this tea set for a long time. Let’s go…
36th over: Australia 129-4 (Smith 37, Carey 19) Close! Carey sweeps and misses a straight one from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, there’s a vociferous appeal but the ump says no and Bangladesh decide not to risk burning their last review. Perhaps wisely, it may have hit him outside the line.
That’s drinks and time for me to hand over to m’esteemed colleague Geoffrey Lemon. Bye!
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35th over: Australia 128-4 (Smith 37, Carey 18) A single to each batter as Ebadot tightens up his line. Clouds rolling in again at Darwin but the humidity is still punishing, Smith’s shirt is stuck to him with sweat, Carey looks as pristine as ever. Swot.
34th over: Australia 126-4 (Smith 36, Carey 17) Smith picks up a couple into the off side off Hasan and that’s the fifty partnership from this pair.
“As the token Englishman in my Australian workplace, I took brief joy in finding out the hosts were 4 wickets down before lunch” writes Phil Withall.
“Then I realised my sporting nemesis, Mr Stephen Smith, was still at the crease. My own hopes, as well as those of the Bangladeshi players, suddenly evaporated. The man is just too good…”
He’s human these days though Phil, he misses the ball occasionally and was dropped at slip early doors today. Cue him scoring a bazillion runs in the next twelve months…
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33rd over: Australia 122-4 (Smith 33, Carey 16) Ebadot Hossain returns and it’s an expensive re-introduction from the seamer, Carey gets pads to a full ball that whistles away for four past the keeper. Smith then crunches a drive through cover for four more. Warning signs for Bangladesh.
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32nd over: Australia 113-4 (Smith 29, Carey 16) Six runs worked off Mehidy Hasan’s first over. That’s 39 runs since lunch and the run rate up to 3.9 an over. We’ve only had 32 overs bowled though, which is a tired tortoiselike effort from Bangladesh.
31st over: Australia 107-4 (Smith 26, Carey 13) Steve Smith is starting to tick, he crashes two fours through the off side off Mahmud and keeps the strike with a scampered leg bye off the final ball of the over.
30th over: Australia 98-4 (Smith 18, Carey 13) Just a single off Hasan’s first over, he has a slip, short leg and short midwicket in place. I’m sure one or both of Carey and Smith will look to get after him to give Shanto a headache as he looks to shuffle his pack.
29th over: Australia 97-4 (Smith 17, Carey 13) There’s a leg slip in to Carey but Mahmud gets his line wrong, a half volley on off stump is creamed down the ground for four, a checked drive by a dangerous looking Carey. It is now time for some spin, Mehidy Hasan is summoned into the attack.
28th over: Australia 93-4 (Smith 17, Carey 9) Carey pounces on a short ball form Taskin and pulls away for four in front of square. He was on that in a flash. The bowler over corrects with a full ball which Carey leans on to pick up three more from the covers. Runs coming a bit more easily in the afternoon sun.
27th over: Australia 86-4 (Smith 17, Carey 2) Bangladesh have still only used three bowlers so far today – Mahmud, Hossein and Taskin. They need a spinner to hold up and end so they can rotate the quicks and get some rest into the legs. Close! Mahmud finds the edge of Smith’s blade but soft hands sees the ball land short and wide of gully and it runs away for four.
26th over: Australia 81-4 (Smith 13, Carey 1) Taskin keeps Carey honest with a sharp bouncer that thuds into the keeper’s gloves. The sun is back out in Darwin and perhaps the pitch is flattening out a smidge. Carey is off the mark with an inside edge to leg.
25th over: Australia 80-4 (Smith 13, Carey 0) Steve Smith throws the kitchen sink, toastie maker, kettle and condiments at a wide ball from Mahmud and thrashes four past point. Smith then nearly runs himself out after Carey sends him back as he looks for a non existent single behind square on the off side. The throw missed but Smith made his ground with a dive, elegant it was not.
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24th over: Australia 76-4 (Smith 9, Carey 0) Carey is so often the man to counterpunch Australia out of a sticky spot. He’s tied down here for the time being though, Taskin reeling off a probing maiden.
23rd over: Australia 76-4 (Smith 9, Carey 0) Steve Smith works a straight ball off his pads for two runs. Alex Carey is at the crease with him, Australia need these two to build a partnership with Beau Webster due in next and Pat Cummins and the rest of the bowlers to come .
Here we go with the afternoon session, Hassan Mahmud is going to start things off with the ball, he’s got 2-25 from his day’s work so far. Play!
More lunchtime reading:
Speaking of the English, Joe Root has done the sensible thing. Over to his players to do the same…
“Hi James”
Hello Rowan McSweeney!
“How good is Cricket in August?!”
Well that’s a loaded question for us in Blighty with only The Hundred being played in these prime weeks of summer… NOT NOW JIM! LEAVE IT!
“Weatherald getting out after another start. He seems to make heavy weather of his starts, then almost relaxes too much when he gets his eye at least somewhat in. Don’t be too nervous but also don’t be too relaxed! Who’d be a batter, eh?”
He seemed a bit lost this morning, he’s tinkered with his technique to combat getting pinned lbw but then played and missed a handful of times before nicking off to the keeper.
Lunch: Australia 74-4
Pat Cummins is in the nets at lunch, with the bat in hand. I’m sure he didn’t have that in mind when he won the toss and chose to have a bat this morning in Darwin. Weatherald, Head, Labuschagne and Green have all been sent packing.
WICKET! Cameron Green c Mushfiqur Rahim b Taskin (Australia 74-4)
Gone! Cam Green that is not good batting, on the cusp of lunch he hooks without any control for SIX and then clips loosely off his pads in the air where Mushfiqur takes a simple catch at midwicket.
That is soft soft soft from Green. Softer than the Michelin Man’s tummy after a twelve course tasting menu. Australia head to lunch teetering on 74-4. Bangladesh are understandably cock-a-hoop and they dropped Steve Smith in that session too, they could have Australia five down!
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21st over: Australia 68-3 (Smith 7, Green 7) Now then! Ebadot Hossein is convinced he has Steve Smith caught behind but umpire Dharmasena is unmoved. Bangladesh send it upstairs and are celebrating with high fives and backslaps, Smith is also looking mighty guilty and wandering twenty yards over to the Aussie dugout… but there’s no spike on snicko and back comes Smith. NOT OUT. Bangladesh can’t believe it, they were certain they heard an edge. Smith survives!
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20th over: Australia 67-3 (Smith 7, Green 6) Green collects three more down the ground with a punch to a full ball from Taskin. Steve Smith is batting like a man with a bee in his britches, he’s walking down to the bowler and displaying some elaborate leaves.
19th over: Australia 64-3 (Smith 7, Green 3) Oh my days, Cam Green gets an under edge to his first ball with a nervy prod to Ebadot Hossein! That could have easily deflected onto the stumps a la Head. The big fella defends the next two and then gets off the mark with a drive down the ground for three. Do not adjust your set.
WICKET! Marnus Labuschagne c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Ebadot Hossain 1 (Australia 61-3)
Australia are three down before lunch! Marnus edges and is well caught by the Bangladesh skipper in the cordon. Here comes Cameron Green for a very tricky 20 minute period before lunch…
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18th over: Australia 62-2 (Labuschagne 1, Smith 7) Smith is on the move, taking a step down to Taskin to negate any late movement. Eeeesht! Another edge from Smith and it flies through a now vacant third slip region for four.
17th over: Australia 56-2 (Labuschagne 1, Smith 3) DROP! Steve Smith edges Hossein to Tamim at third slip and the catch goes in and pops out. That’s a huge moment, it was a low one but comfortably carried and a BIG chance goes begging.
16th over: Australia 55-2 (Labuschagne 1, Smith 2) Taskin returns for his second spell. Smith is off the mark with a sketchy leading edge to cover and Marnus gets off a blob with a tentative poke that results in an inside edge into the leg side. Bangladesh have their collective dander up here.
15th over: Australia 52-2 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Hossein keeps Marnus honest with a maiden. Ricky Ponting, astute as ever, has spotted that Labuschagne is batting with his back foot on off stump thus limiting his options to play through the off side in an attempt to negate the chances of an lbw. Batting is full of Butterfly Effects.
14th over: Australia 52-2 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Steve Smith joins Marnus in the middle and the Aussies are under a bit of pressure early doors in Darwin.
WICKET! Travis Head b Hasan Mahmud 22 (Australia 52-2)
The clouds have rolled over Darwin and Bangladesh have some decent conditions here with a new ball. Gah. Mahmud serves up a half volley that Head pongoes through cover for four.
Chopped on! Head has to go after fencing a back of a length ball that moves back, takes the inside edge and clatters onto leg stump. Head is disgusted with himself for playing a half arsed shot and has to depart. Both Aussie openers back in the hutch.
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13th over: Australia 46-1 (Head 16, Labuschagne 0) Ebadot Hossein continues and gets some impressive bounce out of the Darwin surface, Litton Das taking the ball above his head behind the sticks. Head gets a single and Marnus is happy to dot out the rest of the over as he gets himself acquainted.
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12th over: Australia 45-1 (Head 15, Labuschagne 0) Here’s Marnus with a fair bit of heat on him despite averaging nigh on 45 in Test cricket, he hasn’t reached the dizzy heights of his first couple of years in Tests and there’s a feeling he needs to properly arrest a slump. He leaves his first two balls from Mahmud but there’s none of the ‘No Run’ histrionics of peak Labuschagne. Wicket maiden from Hasan Mahmud who has impressed in the first hour.
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WICKET! Jake Weatherald c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 23 (Australia 45-1)
Gone! It was coming, Weatherald bottom edged with a wild swish outside off earlier in the over that landed just short of keeper Das and then attempts the same a coupe of balls later and gets a meaty edge behind. Unconvincing from the local lad and he shakes his head as he departs.
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11th over: Australia 45-0 (Head 15, Weatherald 23) Weatherald is riding his luck, an inside edge squirts back past his stumps and Hossein has is head in his hands. A single brings Head on strike and he pulls dismissively for four, his first boundary since the second ball of the game.
10th over: Australia 35-0 (Head 10, Weatherald 18) Weatherald wafts and misses outside off stump for the fourth or fifth time already this morning. Crack! He doesn’t miss the next though and there’s a pistol crack noise around the ground as he smashes a four through cover point.
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9th over: Australia 31-0 (Head 10, Weatherald 10) Hossein cuts Head in half with consecutive deliveries pitched back of a length. He’s bustling in and looks well up for the fight. Close! Head is pinned on the knee roll and Bangladesh like the look of this… they send it upstairs… NOT OUT – missing off stump and the visitors lose a review. Brilliant and threatening first over from Ebadot Hossein though, a maiden.
8th over: Australia 31-0 (Head 10, Weatherald 10) Weatherald is beaten by Mahmud but settles his nerves the next ball with a compact off drive for four. Edabdot Hossein is being summoned for an early bowl, he got some tap in the warm up game…
7th over: Australia 23-0 (Head 9, Weatherald 7) Taskin is around the wicket and zoning in on the stumps and pads. He’s flicked away a couple of times in the over and decides to plug that gap with a leg slip. Don’t mind that at all.
6th over: Australia 19-0 (Head 8, Weatherald 4) Bangladesh have started well with the ball, another probing over from Mahmud, Weatherald leaves a ball that will have got his ticker fluttering as it passed over the stumps by this much. A full ball to finish hits the batter on the boot but it was heading down leg and the appeal is stifled.
5th over: Australia 18-0 (Head 7, Weatherald 4) Taskin with more late movement, jagging a ball back into Weatherald’s knee roll, a keen appeal but it was going over and Umpire Dharmasena is rightly unmoved. The bowler goes full, trying to get through Weatherald in a similar way to how England had some success against him in the Ashes - with him falling over to the off side - but the radar is awry and it slides away for four byes.
4th over: Australia 13-0 (Head 7, Weatherald 4) Hasan Mahmud nearly pockets Head as a meaty leading edge loops over the bowler but short of mid off. The bowler then beats Weatherald all ends up with a ripper that seams back and looks like it skimmed the off bail. Weatherald aims a booming drive at the final ball but connects only with hot and humid Darwin air.
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3rd over: Australia 12-0 (Head 6, Weatherald 4) Tidy over from Taskin who lands it on a postage stamp for five in a row before blotting his copy book ever so slightly with a drift onto the pads that Head whips to leg for a single.
2nd over: Australia 11-0 (Head 5, Weatherald 4) Hasan Mahmud shares the new nut, he took four wickets in the warm up match against the CA XI and he looks dangerous here early on. Weatherald gets off the mark with a thick edge for four wide of the cordon and is then beaten by an absolute doozy that shapes in and nips away late. Play that! Ricky Ponting thinks Weatherald is standing taller in his crease but there are still plenty of moving parts, including a backlift that bobs back and forth like a souped up maneki-neko. Will the technical adjustments bring him luck and prosperity?
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Head 4, Weatherald 0) Taskin Ahmed starts with the ball for Bangladesh with Travis Head on strike. The first ball is on the moolah and respected by Head with a forward defence. Ah, that didn’t last long. Taskin pushes the next one a bit too full and a bit too wide and it is duly lashed through the covers for four by the great moustachioed one. Taskin is back on task for the rest of the over though, finding a good spot on off stump with a bit of nip back into the left handed Head off the pitch. Bangladesh need a couple of early scalps to get into this match.
The players line up and the anthems are duly dusted off. Righto, lets do this.
As a side note, David Warner has arrived in Darwin dressed as a pocket sized Mick Dundee. “Call that a pull shot? This is a pull shot”
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Teams:
Australia: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud
An early look at Australia’s batting card this morning then, local boy Jake Weatherald will be feeling the nerves as he attempts to cement his place at the top of the order. Marnus will also be looking to get some runs under his belt to quieten a few grumblings and rumblings about his output in Test cricket of late.
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The mercury is set to touch 31 degrees in Darwin today with a clammy 80 per cent humidity. The pitch looks true albeit there might be a touch of moisture and movement for Bangladesh’s bowlers to exploit early on. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto says as much at the toss and says he is “honoured and excited” to be leading his side in a Test series in Australia.
Australia win the toss and choose to bat first
The coin falls Australia’s way and they will bat first. Pat Cummins says he and his men are “buzzing”* to get going after a seven month break.
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Preamble
Test cricket in Australia in August? Yes please.
And so it begins. Over the next 12 months the Australian men’s Test team will play 20 Test matches (21 if they make the World Test Championship final) in a year that will likely define an era.
Much has been made about the wizened age of the current Aussie outfit -with only Cameron Green under the age of 30 in the likely starting XI against Bangladesh in Darwin today. This is not a team that is preparing for the future, but it is one that could win a hell of a lot of Test cricket in the next 12 months and yah-boo to whatever follows. Pat Cummins intimated he is all about the here and now in his pre-match comments:
We don’t look too far ahead. We as a group are quite good at just being quite present, not thinking too far ahead and moving on from one game to the next. For us at the moment, it’s all Bangladesh this series.”
The ‘Fab Four’ are reunited too – the ever present and ever impressive (just ask England’s batting card…) Mitchell Starc is rejoined by Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, the first time the quartet will line up together in over a year. No questions about the golden quality of the bowling then but a few question marks over the Aussie batting order with plenty of scrutiny on the aforementioned Green and Jake Weatherald at the top of the order.
Bangladesh haven’t been Down Under for a Test series since 2003 and Darwin hasn’t hosted a Test match since 2004. Play begins at 10am local time and 10:30am AEST, the teams and the toss are imminent. As ever, please do get in touch as we go along. Shall we?
