AUS vs BAN: 3 reasons behind Bangladesh's poor batting show in 2nd Test

Bangladesh were bowled out for just 64 runs in the first innings of the Mackay Test.

Following Australia’s unexpected defeat in the 1st Test in Darwin, the 2nd Test between Australia and Bangladesh (AUS vs BAN) at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay got off to a highly dramatic start.

Both teams were grappling with challenging circumstances; Australia took the field aiming to reclaim their lost pride, while Bangladesh’s goal was to boost their confidence in this WTC.

Bangladesh stunned the hosts, Australia, in the first match, winning comfortably by 9 wickets, securing their first-ever victory on Australian soil. Bangladesh are currently placed fourth in the ICC World Test Championship points table, while Australia sit at the top. 

However, a completely different scenario unfolded in the 2nd Test, where Bangladesh were bowled out for just 64 runs in the first innings. Mitchell Starc proved to be a nightmare for the visiting team, recording figures of 6/12 in his 10-over spell.

Reasons behind Bangladesh’s batting collapse at Mackay:

Starc’s devastating spell with the new ball 

One of the central reasons for Bangladesh’s collapse in the first innings of the second Test was Mitchell Starc‘s extraordinary spell. The Australian left-arm pacer removed Shadman Islam for a duck on the very first ball of the match, before leaving Bangladesh struggling at 12/5 at one stage. 

Starc claimed the second-fastest five-wicket haul of his Test career in just 22 balls, just seven more than his previous record of 15 balls against West Indies in 2025.

With his sublime pace and the shine on the new ball playing to his advantage, the visitors could never recover from the carnage down by one of the greatest pacers of modern-day Test cricket. 

Bangladesh’s top order failed to withstand the early pressure

With Starc delivering wickets from one end and Josh Hazlewood showing remarkable accuracy with his tight line and length from the other end, the Bangladesh top order could not withstand the pressure exerted by the Australian pacers. The Australian pace trio clearly exploited the favourable conditions offered by the Mackay surface. 

In contrast to Darwin, where Bangladesh batters showed great composure, Mackay saw the Bangladesh batters mentally flushed by the early domination of the Australian pacers. 

Mackay’s pitch posed a massive challenge to the batters

Unlike the Darwin pitch, which was more balanced and offered considerable help for both bowlers and batters, the Mackay pitch turned out to be a bowler’s heaven.

Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and quickly decided to exert pressure on the visiting side, using the pitch to their advantage. The fall of 18 wickets on the very first day clearly shows how difficult the pitch was for the batsmen.

The Australian batsmen also struggled during their innings, but thanks to the partnership between Steve Smith and Cameron Green, they managed to overcome the difficult situation. Left-arm Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam returned with figures of 6/35. 

Therefore, Bangladesh being bowled out for 64 was not merely the result of poor batting; it was also influenced by the Australian bowlers’ superb performance and the behaviour of the Mackay pitch.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.