Tigers’ long wait ends with stern Australia test

Bangladesh’s 23-year wait to play a Test on Australian soil will finally come to an end when they take on the hosts in the opening Test of the two-match series at Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on Thursday.

The Tigers played their first Test series in Australia in 2003, when they were just three years into their Test journey, and lost both matches by an innings in Darwin and Cairns.

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The two teams then featured in two-match Test series in 2006 and 2017, both in Bangladesh. While Australia won the 2006 series 2-0, Bangladesh bounced back in 2017 to draw the series 1-1 after securing a memorable 20-run victory in the opening Test in Mirpur.

Despite that historic victory, Bangladesh’s scheduled tour of Australia in 2018 was cancelled by Cricket Australia (CA), citing financial reasons. The tour was supposed to comprise two Tests and three ODIs.

After years of waiting, Bangladesh are finally set to play another Test series in Australia, with the two matches also forming part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Australia currently lead the WTC standings with 87.50 percent of points, while Bangladesh are fourth with 58.33 percent.

They will, however, be without pace spearhead Nahid Rana for the series, while Shoriful Islam is expected to return for the second Test after passing his fitness test.

Their only tour match was also underwhelming, as the visitors suffered an innings-and-38-run defeat to Cricket Australia XI. They were bowled out for just 54 in the second innings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s unbeaten century was the lone highlight, while both the batting and bowling units raised concerns ahead of the opening Test.

“I would actually say it is better to look forward. What happened in the past is in the past. Let's see what happens ahead,” Bangladesh fielding coach Ashiqur Rahman Majumder told reporters in Darwin on Tuesday.

“Our players are mentally prepared to fight in the Test match…We are preparing both mentally and physically, which will be visible on the field,” he added.

The only positives ahead of the first Test are the expected returns of Litton Das and Taijul Islam, who have been recovering from injuries.

Litton, who was not included in the initial squad, recovered swiftly and joined the team in Darwin. He missed the practice match but is likely to feature in the opening Test, subject to passing a fitness test.

Taijul is also expected to play after recovering from a finger injury sustained while batting in the practice match. The spinner did not bowl in that game as a precaution.

Bangladesh’s chances in the match, however, will largely depend on how their batters cope with Australia’s formidable bowling attack, featuring Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton will need to shoulder much of the responsibility with the bat if Bangladesh are to avoid another difficult outing in Australia.

Australia, meanwhile, also possess a formidable batting line-up, with Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne capable of turning matches with their performances.

The match is scheduled to start at 6:30am Bangladesh time.

Bangladesh vs Australia: Highlights

** Bangladesh are set to play a Test in Australia after 23 years, their longest gap between Test series in the same country.

** Australia lead the head-to-head in Tests against Bangladesh, winning five of the six played. Bangladesh’s only win came by 20 runs in Mirpur in 2017.

** Josh Hazlewood needs five wickets to reach 300 in Tests. He could become the 42nd bowler and ninth Australian to reach the milestone.

** Mushfiqur Rahim needs 194 runs to become the first Bangladeshi to score 7,000 Test runs.

** Australia’s quicks have taken a wicket every 20.75 runs over the past two years, second-best globally behind South Africa (20.16). Against right-handers, the average is 19.55, compared to 24.08 against left-handers.

** Bangladesh are the only current World Test Championship (WTC) opponent against whom Steve Smith has not scored a Test century. He has made 119 runs at 29.75 in two Tests against the Tigers.

** Australia lead the ongoing WTC standings with 87.50% of points, while Bangladesh are fourth with 58.33%.

** Marrara Stadium in Darwin will host a Test for the first time since 2004. It has staged only two Tests, making its debut in 2003 when Bangladesh played Australia.