Can Tigers’ batting pass the Australian test?

Bangladesh are awaiting injury updates on Nahid Rana and Litton Das. While both are vital components of the Test setup, it is the Tigers' batting concerns that will likely be the defining factor in their first Test tour of Australia in 23 years.

The pace attack, bolstered by the likes of Nahid Rana, is now the second-fastest in Test cricket. Cricket Australia’s website, cricket.com.au, recently noted: "Nahid Rana, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam are not household names Down Under, but the trio lead an emerging pace group that data suggests is Australia's equal in terms of pure ball speed."

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Since March 2024, both Bangladesh and Australia’s pacers have averaged over 140kph, establishing them as the two fastest pace attacks in the current game. However, while this prospect may excite Australian batters, it remains a point of concern for their Bangladeshi counterparts, particularly following their recent innings defeat in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Harare.

More concerning is that Bangladesh produced a dismal batting display, especially given their recent strong performances against Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia across both Test and ODI formats.

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Lack of practice matches behind batting debacle in Zim, says Ashraful

Bangladesh’s batters struggled to apply themselves in Harare. While the Tigers have played most of their recent series on sporting wickets, Zimbabwe presented unique challenges, including additional pace and bounce. The batters were consistently tested outside the off-stump and frequently attempted to force the issue throughout both innings. Conditions in Australia’s Darwin and Mackay are expected to be similarly conducive to the hosts' pace attack.

The question of whether the batters can survive will be the defining factor.

Batting coach Mohammad Ashraful suggested that a lack of practice matches contributed to the difficulty in adjusting to the wickets in Zimbabwe. The Tigers travel to Australia on August 1 and have a four-day tour match scheduled for August 6 against a CA XI.

"It will be tough in Australia, but the positive is that we will travel there early -- 10–12 days in advance. We will have the opportunity to play a three-day practice match, and hopefully, if all our players are fit, we will be able to perform well there," Ashraful said on Wednesday.

Despite the recent setback, the batting coach was hesitant to be overly critical of his unit.

"Our batters did really well over the last seven months. One series can go wrong; one Test match went bad, but in the four Tests prior to that, our batters played extremely well," he said.

"See, we can lose one or two games in different conditions. After playing so well over the last seven months, there is no reason to be demoralised after losing one or two matches, I believe. Obviously, they have gained experience from playing in different conditions," he added.

A significant portion of Bangladesh’s recent batting success has been built on Litton Das’s rearguard efforts at number six. Against Pakistan in the two-match home Test series in May, Litton batted with the tail to guide Bangladesh to a competitive total in the first innings of the second Test. 

With Litton’s availability pending the results of medical scans in Singapore, there are major questions regarding how the Bangladesh batting order will withstand the Australian test.