AUS vs BAN

This ends our live coverage for this enthralling Test series between Australia and Bangladesh. Both teams walk away with bittersweet memories. Bangladesh did the unthinkable, while Australia responded to the growing criticism by bouncing back with character. In the end, it's a 1-1 stalemate, and that would be it from all of us here at Sportskeeda. Do keep an eye on the ongoing second Test between Sri Lanka and India happening live in Colombo. For now, this is Datrim and Pradeep signing off on behalf of the Sportskeeda comms team. Cheers!

Pat Cummins (Australia captain): [On the turnaround from the previous Test] “Yeah, that’s right. A lot of things went our way over these couple of days where a lot of things went wrong last week. We needed a bounce-back, and it was a great couple of days from the lads.”

[On Australia’s bowling and fielding] “I thought everyone was really sharp. It was a bit like the opposite of last week. If you get a really good first hour or two, you can set up the rest of the match. We can’t expect to get six for 20 every match, but it was a great start and we didn’t really let up after that.”

[On Cameron Green’s performances] “It feels like he’s finally released the handbrake. He looked in total command of his batting throughout this series, so I’m really happy for him. I had a couple of innings with him yesterday and this morning, and hopefully he can take a lot of confidence from that. We know how good he is, and he’s now putting together some really solid performances in Test cricket. We know he’s good enough, and with lots of cricket coming up, hopefully he can continue it.”

[On playing Test cricket in the Top End] “It’s been great. It’s a slightly different feel playing at different stadiums to what we’re used to in the middle of summer, but it’s been really well supported, with so many people out here. The conditions have been excellent both weeks, really Test-quality conditions. So, no complaints. We’ve loved it and hopefully we can get back up here at some point.”

[On the upcoming white-ball series] “Yeah, I think I’ll get over there for some of it. We’ll work that out over the next couple of days, but the plan is to play a little bit of white-ball cricket leading into the red-ball games.”

Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh captain): [On Australia’s performance] “Obviously, we all know how good Australia are. As I said in the press conference, they have had so much experience over the last 50-plus years. This showed their character, and as a Bangladesh Test team, we didn’t play our best cricket in this match.”

[On the different conditions] “This was a different condition, with a little more bounce and swing in the air, so it was challenging for us. But as a team, if we want to go forward, we need to adjust to these conditions. I hope this experience will help us going forward.”

[On the pitch] “It was quite difficult for all the batters. If you look at Australia’s batting, they also struggled. The way Shoriful and Taskin bowled, I was really happy to see them. It was quite difficult to bat, to be very honest.”

[On the series and Bangladesh’s progress] “It was obviously a very proud moment for us as a team, and we showed our character and discipline in the first Test. We need to be consistent. I believe if we get more opportunities to play in similar conditions, it will help us. That’s what we want. It has been 23 years since we came here to play Test cricket, and playing just two Test matches is not easy. If we have the opportunity to play here every single year, it will help us improve our game.”

Mitch Starc (Player of the Match and Player of the Series): "Yes, thrilled with the result. Back in Darwin, we were not at our best. Bangladesh were superb out there. What we expected this week was improved performance with the ball. It's a special feeling to enter the top 10 wicket-takers list. I still have a long way to go. Yes, my body is holding up nicely. I enjoy test cricket a lot. I wanna keep my body fit for Test cricket. (About the pitch) It's a nice wicket similar to the Gabba. Plus a lovely couple of days' weather to go with it. There are a couple of Test series to go before the white-ball series kicks in, and I will be ready for the challenges and prepare myself accordingly."

Nathan Lyon (Australia): [On his batting] “Some days it comes off, some days it doesn’t. But I really enjoyed the opportunity to bat with Cam. He’s been exceptional throughout this series, and if I can chip in with the bat here and there, I’ll do my job.”

[On Cameron Green’s progress] “I thought our preparation was really spot on. We had a couple of really good training sessions and match simulations in Brisbane before the first Test. Even then, I thought Cam was batting exceptionally well. It’s great to see him get the rewards, especially with the hundred last week. He’s batted really well throughout this series, and that’s been thrilling to watch.”

[On his bowling] “I felt really good, and the ball was coming out of my hand nicely. There are a couple of things I want to keep working on and improving, but all in all, when you get a hold of it and take one down, it can be pretty hard to get a bat on sometimes.”

[On his fitness after returning from surgery] “I feel really good. I’ve done the work, and credit to Cricket Australia, Cricket New South Wales and my fitness coach back home, Tom Carter. He’s been absolutely exceptional. I’m probably feeling better than I ever have in my career, to be honest.”

[On the pitch] “I thought the pitch was brilliant. I don’t think it was an 18-wicket pitch. On the first day, I thought it was absolutely brilliant, so hats off to the curator. It was a pretty nice wicket. It’s a simple turn at the Gabba, but when you’ve got some pretty good bowlers bowling, they can make it challenging. All in all, I think it’s a good cricket wicket.”

Josh Hazlewood (Australia): [On the pitch] “Yeah, the wicket was pretty good. I don’t think it was necessarily a two-day game, but there was enough there for us. I think it quickened up a little bit today, so we might have found something.”

[On bowling into the wind] “Starc into the wind looked really good. Charlie can have that job full-time!”

[On the two-day Test and pitch conditions] “I think there was obviously a bit of seam movement on the first morning, as you’d expect in most Test matches. But once the shine went off the ball, it didn’t really do a great deal from a bowler’s point of view. It’s always going to get scrutinised when a Test finishes in two days, but I thought the wicket played better than that. Sometimes bowlers are allowed to bowl really, really well.”

[On Nathan Lyon’s performance] “He did a great job from this end into the wind. I think it was the bounce he was getting. He didn’t need to spin it too much; he was getting enough bounce into the shoulder of the bat. There are a lot of left-handers in the Bangladesh team, which helps, so he looked very good.”

[On playing white-ball cricket] “I feel pretty good. Darwin was a tough slog, but I didn’t bowl as many overs in this Test, so we’ve got to freshen up over the next week or so and probably make a few calls. Everything’s feeling good, though, and white-ball cricket is always good to play for Australia, whatever the format. So we’ll see.”

[On playing Test cricket in regional venues] “Yeah, it was great. Darwin was good as well, and we played at these two grounds last year, but I guess Test cricket is a different story. It was great to see all the kids out and about today. The crowd feels really close in these sorts of grounds; they feel part of it. Signing autographs around the boundary and doing different things was great. Being a guy from a small town, it’s nice to get back to places like this.”

Cameron Green (Australia): [On his form in the series] “Yeah, it’s been a good series. It’s obviously a bit of a shame what happened last week, but for the boys to come out this week and put in that performance, it’s pretty special.”

[On what he learned from the previous Test] “Yeah, 100%. Obviously, I’ve got 20 Tests coming up this year, so you want to get off to a good start, and I feel like I’ve done that. Now it’s just about building on that, finding something that works and continuing with it.”

[On his batting and bowling workload] “I’ve always put a lot more time into my batting. I’d say it’s probably a good 80-20 split. It’s about keeping my body as ready as possible for bowling and then putting most of the rest of my time into batting. So yeah, I’d probably say an 80-20 split.”

[On the upcoming white-ball series] “I think it’s really exciting. Obviously, we’ve got a World Cup coming up in a year’s time, so I feel like there’s a World Cup coming around every single year! It’s another one to look forward to. We won the last one, so we know how to go about it. It’s just about coming together as a team, and obviously playing in South Africa, that’s where it’s going to be. So yeah, it’s pretty crucial for us.”

[On playing in the Top End] “Yeah, 100%. We love our time in the Top End. Last time we were out here, we had a lot of fun and played some good cricket, and I think this year has been even better than we expected. The training has been awesome, the grounds have been great, and the facilities have been excellent as well. I think they’ve done a really great job.”

15:10 local time (10:40 AM IST): Australia win by an innings and 51 runs and level the series 1-1 

Cameron Green - 67 (105) | Mitchell Starc - 10/51
Najmul Hossain Shanto - 31 (46) | Shoriful Islam - 7/48

AUSTRALIA WIN! Incredible comeback from the hosts following their shocking loss in Darwin! There is finally some redemption for Australia as they fight back to level the series 1-1! Bangladesh were badly outplayed in this test, but they will certainly walk away with pride after achieving an extraordinary result in this series. Beating Australia in Australia is by no means a cakewalk. They have badly exposed the flaws in this ageing Australian team. However, there will be some positive lessons for the resurgent Bangladesh Test side. The highs of the Darwin Test win probably got the better of the tourists.

Australia, on the other hand, learnt quickly from their mistakes. Starc put on a splendid show with the ball, picking up 10 wickets in the match. Amid growing criticism following the first Test, the veteran spinner turned it around for Australia when it mattered the most. Cummins, Hazlewood, and Lyon also made vital contributions with the ball. However, batting has once again emerged as a weak link for the home side. Travis Head struggled to counter deliveries from round the wicket while Smith and Labuschagne looked out of touch for the most part of their innings. As for Bangladesh, it was Shoriful Islam who gave Bangladesh a glimmer of hope, accounting for 7 dismissals to ensure Australia did not run away with the game.

But in the end, the inevitable had to happen. Bangladesh batters struggled to cope with the pace and bounce of the surface and played straight into the hands of the Australian bowlers. Phil Simmons will certainly walk away as a happy coach, but he will certainly not be pleased by this dreadful batting collapse from Bangladesh. 

38.3 Nathan Lyon to Shoriful Islam, OUT! SLASHED IN THE AIR AND TAKEN BY STARC FITTINGLY! From the heartbreak in Darwin to a ruthless response in Mackay! Australia bounce back in emphatic fashion, steamrolling Bangladesh to seal a stunning innings victory and level the series in style! Tossed up in the channel, Shoriful shimmies down the wicket, throws kitchen sink at it, slicing it in the air. Starc backtracking at backward point and takes a simple catch.

38.1 Nathan Lyon to Taskin Ahmed, OUT! EDGED AND GONE FIRST BALL! Sharp grab by Smith to his right at slip. Length delivery in the channel, Taskin went pushing at it, takes the outside edge and Australia just need a wicket to wrap things up here.

It's all gloom and doom for Bangladesh now. But if Rahim manages to hang around, Bangladesh might as well get an unlikely lead here. Who knows? 

2:55 PM local time (10:25 AM IST): Day 2, Session 3!

Hello and welcome back for what could well be the final session of this Test match here in Mackay!

Two days. That is all it has taken for Australia to rip up the narrative of this series and rewrite it in their own image. Bangladesh resume on 95 for 8, still trailing by 51, with the merest formality standing between the hosts and a comprehensive victory. And the pattern has been depressingly familiar for the visitors — 64 in the first innings, and now a second dig that promised something in the middle before collapsing in exactly the same fashion. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim had actually done the hard yards after Lunch, watchful and disciplined, absorbing everything Nathan Lyon and the quicks threw at them. But the moment Shanto stepped out to Lyon and threw it away, the innings caved. Litton Das bagged a pair, and Pat Cummins simply carved through a brittle tail.

This has been ruthlessness of the purest kind. Stung by that humiliation in Darwin, Australia have responded the way great sides do — not with panic, but with relentless, suffocating discipline. Mitchell Starc and Cummins have been outstanding throughout, Lyon has found grip where nobody expected it, and the length has been unerring for two full days. Bangladesh's only realistic ambition now is to erase the deficit and leave Australia with something, anything, to chase. Two wickets, 51 runs, and a home side desperate to square this series and wash away the memory of the Top End. It should not take long. I'm Pradeep, and I'll be joined by Datrim Ray as we bring you the closing act. Stay with us, folks!

14:45 PM local time (10:15 AM IST): Tea on day two 

Bangladesh are 95/8 and trail by 51 runs

Session Summary: 56 runs | 27 overs | 5 wickets | 2.07 RPO

Najmul Shanto - 31 (46) | Mushfqur Rahim - 29 (80)
Mitchell Starc - 4/39 | Pat Cummins - 3/10

Bangladesh survive the second session but victory is in sight for Australia! The visitors still trail by a sizeable margin of 51 runs and only have 2 wickets left in the bank! Shanto and Rahim began the second session on a very cautious note. Runs were hard to come by initially. Both Bangladeshi batters were watchful, but were not scoring enough runs to put the pressure back on Australia. The Aussie bowlers toiled hard and were remarkably disciplined in their approach. Lyon got the ball to grip while the quicks hit the length hard. But none of them were initially able to dismantle the composure of the Bangladeshi batters. 

But it all started crumbling for Bangladesh when the skipper Shanto departed. The Bangladesh skipper tried to outsmart Lyon by stepping out of his crease, but ended up paying a huge price by throwing his wicket away. And that was the opening Australia needed to floor Bangladesh once and for all. Das’ woeful run extended further as he bagged a pair, which sunk Bangladesh into deeper trouble. Cummins later jumped into the act and went through the fragile Bangladeshi tail to leave Bangladesh reeling at 95/8. Starc and Cummins have been standout performers for Australia in this session. The home side would be rearing to have one last crack at Bangladesh post-tea to script a memorable comeback victory, following their shock defeat in Darwin.