Shoriful's Six Answers Starc As 18 Wickets Fall At Mackay

Eighteen wickets fell on the opening day of the Mackay Test. Mitchell Starc took six of them for 12 runs. Bangladesh were bowled out for 64 in 34 overs. Shoriful Islam then took six for 35. Australia closed on 165 for 8, a lead of 101 with two wickets standing.

Pat Cummins won the toss and bowled. Great Barrier Reef Arena was staging its first Test, the twelfth ground in Australia to hold one. Bangladesh lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning in Darwin by nine wickets. Australia have to win here to square it. A draw is enough for Bangladesh.

Sixty-four in thirty-four overs

Starc struck with the first ball of the match. Shadman Islam edged to Cameron Green at gully. Bangladesh were 12 for 5 inside seven overs, on the scorecards published by Prothom Alo and CREX. Starc's first five wickets came in 22 deliveries. Prothom Alo called that the sixth-fastest five-wicket haul in Test history. He finished with 10 overs, six maidens, 12 runs and six wickets.

Pat Cummins took 3 for 25, Prothom Alo reported. Shadman top-scored among the specialist batters with 8. Yahoo Sport Australia reported that a 25-run last-wicket stand kept Bangladesh clear of 43. That is their lowest Test total, made against West Indies in 2018. "That's a statement of the highest quality from Mitchell Starc," Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket, in commentary reported by Yahoo Sport Australia.

• Mitchell Starc: 10 overs, six maidens, 6 for 12.
• Pat Cummins: 3 for 25, according to Prothom Alo.
• Shoriful Islam: 11 overs, 6 for 35.

Shoriful answers with the new ball

Bangladesh had 64 runs to defend. Taskin Ahmed removed Matt Renshaw for 8, on Prothom Alo's account of the session. Renshaw had been recalled after more than three years out of the side. Shoriful then took Travis Head for 22 and Marnus Labuschagne for 4. Australia were 50 for 3 at tea.

Shoriful was playing his first Test since a hamstring problem, according to the same report. He kept the length full and the ball around off stump. "It's what I did in practice, and I just wanted to do the same in the match," he said, in comments carried by The Express Tribune.

Darwin was won by spin. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took five wickets in that match, on ESPNcricinfo's report of it. Mackay has gone differently so far. Bangladesh's way back into this Test ran through a left-arm seamer, on a surface that had already given Starc six. The tourists now have two bowlers who have taken a Test away from Australia in a fortnight, in two different disciplines.

Green holds the middle together

CREX's scorecard had Green 51 not out from 81 balls with eight fours at the close. It also recorded a stand of 77 with Steve Smith, who made 42. Nathan Lyon was 10 not out from 28. Only Green passed 50. He also made a century in the Darwin Test, on cricket.com.au's report of that match. Two innings, two contributions, on two very different surfaces.

Forty overs for 165 is quick scoring in a Test. It is also eight wickets in a session and a half. Neither side spent long at the crease. The scoring rate says as much about the surface as the totals do. A new venue has produced a result pitch on debut.

Where the series stands

Australia hold a lead of 101 with Green and Lyon together. Two Tests are scheduled and Bangladesh have won the first. Australia need this one to draw level. Bangladesh can still take the series with a draw. Their bowlers have already removed eight Australians for 165. The match is scheduled to run through to 26 August.

"It was just getting our lengths a bit fuller, using the bouncer a bit more and holding onto our catches," Starc said of the morning, in comments reported by The Express Tribune. Josh Hazlewood spoke about his new-ball partner. "He just gets on a roll sometimes. Amazing to watch," Hazlewood said.

Chennaionline reported that Starc moved to 230 wickets in 56 World Test Championship matches. That took him past Cummins and Lyon, both on 225. Yahoo Sport Australia reported that he also entered the all-time top ten of Test wicket-takers, ahead of Dale Steyn. Play resumes on Sunday. Australia are eight down.