In stark contrast to the way the first Test unfolded between Australia and Bangladesh, the second was over in just five sessions. Played at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, Australia defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 51 runs, and most importantly, did not allow their opponents to cross the 100-run mark in either innings. Bangladesh batted first and were bowled out for a paltry 64, with Australian seamer Mitchell Starc virtually blowing them away. Starc returned with figures of 6-12 in his ten overs after accounting for the top four batters in the Bangladesh lineup.
Bangladesh’s sad performance was exacerbated by the fact that four of their batters got out without bothering to get off the mark. This included the hero of the first Test, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who was caught by Beau Webster off Starc. Interestingly, number 11 Shoriful Islam was Bangladesh’s top-scorer in this innings with 14 off 19 deliveries. In reply, Australia did not quite bat Bangladesh out of the game, but ensured that they would not have to take to the crease again. They amassed just 210, but in the end, it was enough for them to beat Bangladesh and level the series.
Cameron Green, who had scored a century in the first Test, top-scored for the Kangaroos once again with a well-crafted 67 off 105 deliveries, followed closely by Steven Smith’s 42. The home team’s decision to recruit Matt Renshaw in place of struggling opener Jake Weatherald did not pay any dividends as the latter got out for eight, caught by Tamim off Taskin Ahmed. Shoriful, who had top-scored for Bangladesh earlier, was the pick of their bowlers, too, returning with excellent figures of 7-48. His consistency appeared to be far too difficult for the Aussies to deal with.
In the second innings, despite captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s brave 31 and veteran Mushfiqur Rahim’s unbeaten 29, the Bangla Tigers were unable to breach the 100-run mark yet again, and were bowled out for 95. They fell short of the Australian lead by 55 runs, thereby allowing their hosts to cruise to a comfortable victory. Starc backed his performance in the first innings up with a four-wicket haul here, and played a vital role in ensuring that the Bangladeshis did not even bat till the end of the second day. With this victory, Australia tied the series 1-1, and raised serious doubts regarding Bangladesh’s stunning victory in the first match.
