A bruised giant is always a lethal opponent. When it comes to the mighty Aussies Down Under, you expect them to answer the setback with steel
Pat Cummins, the Australian skipper, opted to bowl first after winning the toss, and Bangladesh batters suddenly had a daunting task on their hands. Countering the pace attack spearheaded by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins on the first day morning is an uphill battle against a cliff. Starc seized the opportunity with both hands.
Starc rips Bangladesh apart
His away swinger, pitching on a full length, drew the outside edge of Shadman Islam on the very first ball of the match, and he became the bowler with the most first-ball wickets in a Test match (4). He toppled the Caribbean left-arm pacer Pedro Collins, who achieved this feat thrice in his career.
Shadman became only the second Bangladeshi batter to be dismissed on the inaugural delivery of a Test, after Hannan Sarkar, who suffered the fate thrice in his career. His teammates didn’t get a go either. Tanzid Hasan and Mominul Haque were guilty of chasing deliveries way outside off, Litton Das’ error in shot selection accounted for his dismissal and Starc needed only 21 balls to bag a fifer!
When Starc was reaping rewards from one end, his skipper stepped in for a second fiddle. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz – both were flat-footed, trying to drive the ball, and perished for low scores. Thanks to a 25-run stand between Taijul Islam and Shoriful Islam, Bangladesh salvaged some pride and went past their lowest innings total of 43, against West Indies at North Sound in 2018.
Starc was the wrecker-in-chief, finishing with 6/12. It is the fourth-best bowling figure by a pacer in a Test against Bangladesh. Chris Cairns (7/53, Hamilton, 2001), Zaheer Khan (7/87, Mirpur, 2010) and Jermaine Lawson (6/3, Dhaka, 2002) bettered the Aussie speedster before.
Shoriful an inspired selection
In pursuit of 64, Aussies were expected to score truckloads of runs, but another left-arm pacer rose to the occasion. The Panchagarh express, Shoriful, replaced Ebadot Hossain for this Test and it proved to be an inspired team change for the visitors.
Shoriful got the ball as a first-change bowler, replacing Taskin Ahmed. In his very second ball, Travis Head chopped it onto the stumps. Just a couple of balls later, Marnus Labuschagne missed a length ball, which brushed off his thigh pads to clip the leg stump! But his second spell was something more special.
Steven Smith (42) was well set, the fourth-wicket stand between him and Cameron Green flourished to 77 and entered Shoriful. A nip-backer thudded onto Smith’s front pad and he became the victim of an umpire’s call. Beau Webster was beaten on the inside edge, while a viciously rising short ball grazed Pat Cummins’ gloves on its way to Litton Das behind the stumps.
Starc, Shoriful’s left-arm pace counterpart, was knocked over, and the latter had six to his name.
Shoriful finished the first day with 6/35 in his 11 overs. As of now, this is the best bowling figure by a Bangladeshi pacer in away Tests, bettering Ebadot Hossain’s 6/46 against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui back in 2022.
To put his heroics into perspective, only three Asian bowlers have achieved better figures down under. They are Sarfraz Nawaz (9/86, Melbourne, 1979), Kapil Dev (8/106, Adelaide, 1985) and Jasprit Bumrah (6/33, Melbourne, 2018).
Australia’ match to lose?
The Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, became the 12th Australian Test venue and the opening day saw 18 wickets fall in total. Bangladesh, the visitors, were obliterated by the thunderbolts of the veteran Starc earlier. In the latter part of the day, Starc’s counterpart Shoriful kept the Aussie batters at bay. A valiant half-century from Cameron Green and a handy 42 from Steven Smith have helped the Aussies to hold the upper hand.
At 165/8, with a lead of 101, the Aussies do not have complete authority over the Test yet. Bangladesh bounced back, and they have a slender opportunity for a miraculous comeback. Green, unbeaten on 51, will look to pile up some quick runs tomorrow morning to push the lead over 150, and that might help them outbat Bangladesh if the Aussie quicks run riot again.
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