Bangladesh endured a torrid opening morning in the second Test against Australia at Mackay, collapsing to a paltry total of 64 all out inside 34 overs. Spearheaded by a fiery spell from Mitchell Starc, the visiting batting line-up had no answers to the swinging ball and hostile pace, recording the fourth-lowest Test score in their nation’s history.
Heading into this encounter with immense confidence following a historic nine-wicket victory in the opening match of the series, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side hoped to press their advantage. Instead, they were rocked instantly. Opener Sadman Islam nicked the very first delivery of the innings to be dismissed for a golden duck. What followed was a devastating exhibition of seam bowling that dismantled the Bangladesh top order within the first seven overs.
Starc’s Historic Spell
Mitchell Starc was nearly unplayable during a sensational opening burst. By the time Bangladesh slumped to 12 for 5 after just 6.4 overs, Starc had bowled four overs, conceded a mere four runs, and claimed three maiden overs.
The left-arm pace icon systematically tore through the visiting batsmen. After removing Sadman, he quickly accounted for Tanzid Hasan Tamim, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul হক (Haque), and wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das. By completing his five-wicket haul in just 22 balls, Starc etched his name into the record books, marking the fourth-fastest five-wicket haul in the history of Test cricket.
Avoiding the Ultimate Record of Shame
As wickets continued to tumble at the other end, Bangladesh faced the genuine ignominy of breaking their all-time lowest Test score of 43. When the ninth wicket fell at 39 runs, the scoreboard flashed a grim warning for the travelling supporters.
However, tail-ender Taijul Islam averted that specific embarrassment. Facing Josh Hazlewood in the 30th over, Taijul struck a confident boundary off the final delivery, pushing the team total past the dreaded threshold.
Starc finished his masterclass with figures of 6 wickets for just 13 runs from 10 stellar overs, which included six maidens. Shariful Islam provided stubborn resistance with the bat, top-scoring with 14 runs, while Taijul remained unbeaten at the other end as the innings finally concluded on 64.