Bangladesh have made an impressive start to the first Test against Australia in Darwin, with their pace attack exploiting the conditions at Marrara Stadium to reduce the hosts to 64 for three after 19 overs.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat, with Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto leading a side featuring three fast bowlers and two spinners.
Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud opened the bowling for Bangladesh, and both immediately found movement and bounce from a pitch with a noticeable covering of grass.
Hasan was particularly impressive with the new ball, repeatedly troubling Australia’s openers with deliveries that moved both ways. His bowling was rewarded in the 12th over when Weatherald, after earlier being tempted by deliveries outside off stump, edged one through to wicketkeeper Litton Das. He departed for 23, with Hasan claiming his first wicket of the innings.
Hasan struck again in the 14th over, removing Travis Head for 22. Bowling around the wicket, he produced a good-length delivery that jagged back into the left-hander and struck the stumps. Steve Smith then came to the crease at No. 4.
Earlier, Ebadot Hossain had replaced Taskin as the first change in the ninth over and made an immediate impact. He twice beat Head with excellent deliveries and finished his opening over as a maiden. Bangladesh also reviewed an lbw appeal against Head from Ebadot’s fifth delivery, but the review did not overturn the on-field decision.
Hasan continued to keep Australia’s batters uncomfortable, particularly with the movement he generated from a good length. Weatherald was beaten again in the sixth over, while Head and Weatherald struggled to settle against Bangladesh’s disciplined pace bowling.
Australia reached 31 without loss after eight overs, with Weatherald on 14 and Head on 10. However, the pressure created by Bangladesh’s bowlers eventually produced wickets.
Smith was given a reprieve when Tanzid Tamim failed to hold a catch at third slip off Ebadot’s bowling in the 17th over. The ball came low off the bat but was within catching range, and dropping a batter of Smith’s calibre could yet prove costly for Bangladesh.
Ebadot then claimed his first wicket of the innings in the 19th over. Marnus Labuschagne could have left the second delivery of the over alone, but attempted to play it and edged the ball to Najmul at second slip. Labuschagne departed for one, continuing a difficult run of form. Ebadot celebrated the wicket with his trademark salute.
At that point, Australia were 64 for three after 19 overs, having lost three wickets for just 16 runs between 11.4 and 18.2 overs. The collapse was a reward for Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling in the right areas.
The opening phase of the Test had already demonstrated the importance of the surface. Before the match, Australian opener Travis Head described the pitch as looking hard with grass on it. Hasan’s third over provided early evidence of the assistance available to the fast bowlers, with the ball showing both movement and extra bounce. One delivery beat Weatherald’s bat comprehensively, while another caused Head to mistime his shot.
Bangladesh were without right-arm fast bowler Nahid Rana, who is unavailable for the series because of injury. Nevertheless, Taskin and Hasan gave the visitors a strong start with the new ball, while Ebadot maintained the pressure after coming into the attack.
The match is particularly significant for Bangladesh, as it marks their first Test on Australian soil in 23 years. Bangladesh last toured Australia for Tests in 2003, losing both matches by an innings. The two sides have since played four further Tests, all of them in Bangladesh.
Australia, meanwhile, are beginning a lengthy and demanding season with this match. Captain Pat Cummins said before the toss that his side had been looking forward to the contest, while Najmul said Bangladesh were proud to be in Darwin and eager to play.
The match also marks the return of Test cricket to Darwin after a 22-year absence. The unfamiliar conditions at Marrara Stadium mean the venue itself presents a challenge for Australia, despite the hosts' familiarity with Australian conditions.
Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie, a familiar figure to Bangladesh supporters, carried the series trophy onto the field before the national anthems.
Gillespie scored an unbeaten double-century against Bangladesh in 2006 as a nightwatchman—the highest individual score by a nightwatchman in Test cricket. The match marks 20 years since that remarkable innings.
For Bangladesh, the immediate task is to maintain the pressure created by their fast bowlers. With Australia already three wickets down, the visitors have made an encouraging start to a Test that represents a significant moment in their cricketing history.
Teams
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wicketkeeper), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud.
Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Richard Illingworth (ENG)
TV umpire: Nitin Menon (IND)