Mitchell Starc takes five wickets in 22 balls as Australia dominant in Mackay
Mitchell Starc took five wickets in 22 balls for Australia against Bangladesh in the second Test in Mackay on August 22, 2026, reducing the tourists to 12 for five at one stage and leaving them 35 for six at lunch after 23 overs.
Pat Cummins elected to bowl after heavy criticism for choosing to bat in the opening Test in Darwin, where Bangladesh won by nine wickets; Tanzid Hasan scored a century and Najmul Hossain Shanto made 84 in that match. Australia made one change to their XI, bringing Matt Renshaw in for Jake Weatherald, and retained Nathan Lyon despite calls for Scott Boland's return. Bangladesh also made a single change, with Shoriful Islam replacing Ebadot Hossain.
Starc struck with the first ball, finding Shadman Islam's edge that was caught by Cameron Green at gully. It was the fourth time Starc had taken a wicket with the opening ball of a Test, making him the first bowler to achieve the feat; he had previously done it against Sri Lanka in 2016, England in 2021 and India in 2024. "That's a statement of the highest quality from Mitchell Starc," former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.
Tanzid Hasan was caught in the slips in the next over before Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was trapped lbw, and Mominul Haque and Litton Das then fell to complete Starc's five-for, leaving Bangladesh 12 for five. Starc reached his five-wicket haul in 22 balls, the fifth-fastest such spell in Test history. He already holds the record after taking five wickets in only 15 deliveries against the West Indies in 2025; Stuart Broad and Scott Boland have both taken five wickets in 19 balls, while Shane Watson needed 21 deliveries against South Africa.
The opening wicket was also Starc's 28th in the first over of a Test innings. His fifth wicket brought another landmark as Starc moved to 440 Test wickets, overtaking South Africa great Dale Steyn's 439 and moving into 10th place on the all-time list.
Starc's burst left Bangladesh staring at a collapse, but Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud added 23 runs for the seventh wicket to take the visitors to 35 for six at lunch after 23 overs. Mehidy was unbeaten on 11 and Hasan Mahmud was eight not out at the interval.
For now, the visitors have survived the opening session, albeit with six wickets down and Australia firmly on top, and play is due to resume after the lunch interval in the second Test in Mackay.
