Mitchell Starc produced one of the great opening-session bowling spells in Test cricket to dismiss Bangladesh for just 64 runs on day one of the second Test in Mackay, Queensland, only for Australia's batters to then stumble against a Bangladesh fightback, reaching 50-3 at tea on Saturday.
Starc, the veteran left-arm paceman, struck with the very first ball of the match, removing opener Shadman Islam via a leading edge to Cameron Green at gully. He then dismissed the other opener, Tanzid Hasan, with the first ball of his second over, before trapping Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto lbw with his very next delivery — leaving the tourists in ruins at 9 for three after fewer than three overs. Starc captured his fifth wicket in just 22 balls, the sixth-fastest such feat in Test history; he already holds the outright record, having taken five wickets in 15 balls against the West Indies in Kingston last year. He finished with stunning figures of 6 for 12, while captain Pat Cummins added 3 for 25. Experienced middle-order batter Mushfiqur Rahim top-scored with just five, and only a defiant last-wicket stand of 25 between Taijul Islam and Shoriful Islam saved Bangladesh from falling below their all-time Test low of 43, recorded against the West Indies in 2018.
The match is being played at Mackay's Great Barrier Reef Arena — a city on the tropical Queensland coast — which became Australia's 12th Test venue with this fixture. The pitch was deliberately prepared to resemble the famously bouncy Gabba surface in Brisbane, a choice that clearly suited Australia's pace attack. The context of the match matters: Bangladesh lead the two-Test series 1-0 after a remarkable nine-wicket victory in the series opener in Darwin, a result that stunned Australian cricket.
Australia's reply began brightly but unravelled in a three-wicket collapse that conceded just 19 runs. Recalled opener Matt Renshaw, playing his first Test since 2023 after Jake Weatherald was dropped following twin failures in Darwin, fell for eight, caught in the slips off Taskin Ahmed. Travis Head was then bowled for 22 by Shoriful Islam — the same bowler who had missed the Darwin Test with a hamstring injury — and Marnus Labuschagne, under pressure for his place and desperate for runs, was also bowled by Shoriful for just four. Steve Smith and Cameron Green were unbeaten at tea, with Bangladesh's first-innings lead cut to 14 runs.
With Smith at the crease and Australia's formidable pace attack holding all the cards, the home side remain favourites to level the series. But Bangladesh's ability to take three quick wickets — just hours after being blown away themselves — serves as a reminder that this series remains far from settled.