Australia all out for 198 in Darwin as Bangladesh pacers dominate

Australia were dismissed for 198 in the first Test against Bangladesh at Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on August 13, the hosts bowled out within 53 overs on the opening day.

The series opener is the first of two Tests between Australia and Bangladesh; Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat. Australia posted their lowest Test innings score against Bangladesh with Steve Smith the top scorer on 71 (109) while no other Australian passed 25. Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud took six wickets on Australian soil for the first time, with Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain claiming two apiece; the visitors used five bowlers and all ten wickets fell to pace.

Australia chose to bat in slow conditions and, aside from Smith, few batsmen looked comfortable in the middle. Smith said the side felt rusty after not playing a Test in eight months and added: “wasn’t easy, wasn’t a heap of pace on the ball, and it was tacky and seaming around a bit.” He also said: “The bowlers looked at the wicket yesterday, and they said it was rock hard, and then today when we rocked up with a bit of dew on the ground, it felt softer”. Australia last played Tests earlier this year, when they won The Ashes 4-1.

Australia fielded their so-called Big Four — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon — together in a Test after almost a year, but the attack produced only one wicket by the close of play. All ten Australian dismissals were taken by pace bowlers; Hasan Mahmud’s six-wicket haul led the effort and left the hosts short of runs.

The Australian innings featured two notable collapses: after Jake Weatherland (23 runs) fell, Australia lost four top-order batsmen within a span of 10 overs, and later the tail collapsed over nearly 14 overs, losing five wickets for 46 runs. Commenting on the visitors’ bowling, David Warner on Fox Cricket said, "... It’s probably the first time I’ve seen any opposition come and hit the mark with their bowlers straight away. They’re relentless. It’s not easy to do in Australia, and they’ve done that."

Three days before the Test, Bangladesh were beaten by Cricket Australia XI in a warm-up game by an innings and 38 runs and were dismissed for 54 in the second innings, but on Day 1 in Darwin the visitors showed stability and self-belief and also batted better than most Australian players. Bangladesh finished the day with Nahid Rana absent from the lineup; Rana had taken four wickets in the first ODI earlier this year, a performance that many experts felt would have further strengthened Bangladesh’s bowling.

At stumps Bangladesh were 96/1, trailing by 102, with Tanzim Tamim 32* and Mominul Haque 35* and Mitchell Starc having taken the first breakthrough; the second Test is slated to begin on August 22 in Mackay.