Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat in the Mackay Test, losing by an innings and 51 runs to Australia after the match was completed in just two days. The tourists were bowled out for 64 in their first innings and could manage only 95 in their second, marking the first time in their Test history that Bangladesh had failed to reach 100 in either innings of a match.
The defeat was particularly disappointing after Bangladesh had entered the series with confidence following a historic victory in Darwin. Having returned to Australia after a 23-year absence, Bangladesh had already secured a memorable win in the opening Test. But in Mackay, their batting collapsed in both innings and they were unable to mount a serious challenge after Australia won the toss and chose to bat.
The one major source of encouragement for Bangladesh was the performance of left-arm paceman Shoriful Islam. He claimed seven wickets in Australia’s first innings, recording the best figures of his Test career and producing the finest bowling performance by a Bangladeshi pace bowler in Test cricket.
Australia resumed the second day on 165 for eight and were eventually dismissed for 210 in the opening session. Bangladesh therefore had a sizeable deficit to overcome, but their second innings quickly turned into another struggle.
The tourists initially made a steady enough start, scoring five runs during the first two overs. Mitchell Starc then struck twice in the third over. Sadman Islam edged a delivery to point, where Marnus Labuschagne took the catch, before Starc removed Mominul Haque’s off stump with the very next ball. Bangladesh were suddenly five for two.
Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto attempted to stabilise the innings, but their resistance did not last long. In the final ball of the eighth over, Tanzid was caught by Starc off Australia captain Pat Cummins. Bangladesh went to lunch at 39 for three, already facing the prospect of an innings defeat.
The collapse accelerated after the interval. Shanto was dismissed while attempting to advance down the wicket, and Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz soon followed. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Bangladesh’s hopes of taking the match into a third day disappeared rapidly.
Hasan Mahmud and Taijul Islam were both bowled, leaving veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim to shoulder much of the responsibility. He tried to extend the innings with Taskin Ahmed for company, but Bangladesh went into the tea interval with only two wickets remaining and still 51 runs short of making Australia bat again.
The final resistance lasted just one ball after the interval. Taskin was caught in the slips from the first delivery he faced. Shoriful then came to the crease but was dismissed by Nathan Lyon with his second ball, bringing Bangladesh’s innings to an end at 95.
Australia therefore completed a dominant innings-and-51-run victory inside two days. For Bangladesh, the batting failures overshadowed Shoriful’s outstanding individual contribution with the ball.
Despite the disappointing finish, the series will still occupy an important place in Bangladesh’s cricket history. Their victory in Darwin, achieved on Australian soil after a 23-year wait to play a Test series there, remains a landmark result. With Australia winning in Mackay, the two-Test series ended level at 1–1, leaving Bangladesh with both a historic victory and a sobering lesson from the second Test.
