Over the past five years, Bangladesh have not won a Test against any side other than Zimbabwe. Yet they shape as challenging foes for Australia in the two-Test series starting in just six weeks’ time.
Fresh from a bracing Ashes defeat, Australia look set to field one of its most inexperienced Test teams of the modern era.
In succumbing to an aggressive but flawed England Australia have had weaknesses exposed – many which had been obscured by an 18-month period of heady success.
From the start of the 2013-14 summer to the beginning of this Ashes series, Australia had a brilliant win-loss record of 11-3. Two of those three losses though were on just the kind of dry, flat pitches they look likely to encounter in Bangladesh.
In the UAE late last year, the decks were so unresponsive that Australia’s two-Test series against Pakistan should have been a boring, high-scoring draw. Pakistan showed how remarkably easy it was to bat on those pitches if you played with the correct technique against spin. Their innings seemed to stretch for weeks as the Australian bowlers could find no way to trouble them.
Australia’s stints at the crease were comparatively minuscule, the result of awful batting against spin.
The visitors’ technique against the seaming ball was brutally exposed during this Ashes, and the turning ball has been arguably an even bigger problem for them in the past.
The Bangladesh pitches don’t tend to be sharp turners, like those India produced when Australia toured in 2013. But, like the UAE pitches, accurate spinners can still run amok against ill-prepared batsmen thanks to the natural variation they earn.
Two deliveries, bowled at the same speed and trajectory and with the same amount of revolutions, can react in significantly different ways once they land on the pitch.
Some will skid straight on, others will grip and turn appreciably. In the UAE, the Pakistan batsmen expertly countered this by either getting to the pitch or the ball, or moving back deep in their crease to allow themselves time to react to the bounce.
Meanwhile, the Aussies were perpetually stuck on the crease, edging those deliveries which turned and being bowled or caught in front by those which didn’t.
Across those two Tests, rookie tweaker Zulfiqar Babar snared 14 wickets. There was nothing remarkable about his bowling – no extravagant dip, befuddling drift or savage turn. He simply was accurate and utilised subtle variations in pace and release point.
In this manner he very closely resembled the man who shapes as the biggest threat to the Australians in Bangladesh – star spinning all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan.
Shakib’s left arm offerings are, like Zulfiqar’s, unremarkable in anything other than their accuracy and craftiness. He will test whether Australia’s batsmen took heed of the lessons offered by the Pakistanis.
Bangladesh’s key player had not even made his Test debut the last time Australia faced his nation in a Test, more than nine years ago in Chittagong. Back then Australia were a juggernaut and Bangladesh were a joke.
They were so inept that they lost that match to Australia by an innings and 80 runs with the visitors losing only four wickets for the match. Promoted Australian tail-ender Jason Gillespie batted for almost 10 hours in making 201*.
Circumstances will be far different this time around. Australia won’t boast champion players Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Stuart MacGill and Gillespie.
They’ll be fielding a wounded line-up littered with Test rookies. It seems likely that seven of Australia’s XI will have played less than 20 Tests.
Bangladesh, too, are a much different side than they were in 2006. Years of being exposed to solid international opponents has helped their cricket develop appreciably.
Despite their poor win-loss record, they have become a competitive side at home. Their most recent series against South Africa ended in a 0-0 draw due to the impact of poor weather on both Tests.
The first match ended with Bangladesh the only side to have batted, finishing at 8-246 at Mirpur. In the second match in Chittagong they highlighted the extent to which they have improved by earning a 78-run first innings lead.
In the third innings, South Africa were 0-61 when the weather ended the match and would have been strong favourites to win.
But it remained an impressive effort against the Proteas who are not only easily the best team in Test cricket, but are also brilliant overseas, in stark contrast to every other side in recent years.
With a solid spin battery, improving quicks and a reasonably deep batting line-up, Bangladesh are no easy foes for Australia in Asian conditions.
But surely, surely, the Australians could not join Zimbabwe as their only vanquished Test opponents since 2010.
craig watson
Roar Rookie
This is the real conundrum facing Australian cricket. Ankush. How to improve in English and Indian conditions. Surely the thrashing we just copped by the Poms will galvanise the brain's trust into action. There are moves to improve out play in dust bowl spinning conditions. With CA duplicating Indian like pitches at the cricket academy in Brisbane. Could something similar be done with English style decks? I world like to see our brightest red ball cricketers kept away from white ball cricket until such time as they have honed their skills. The influence of so mush short format cricket could be having a detrimental effect on many of our brightest talents. I also applaud CA talk of using the Duke ball in Aussie domestic cricket.
craig watson
Roar Rookie
Bangladesh could be seen as no longer the easybeats of world cricket. They have just drawn a series with world #1 Sth Africa. This two a game series will also be no pushover for our baggy greens. More so now that we are into generational change with plenty of new names in the side. The biggest hole to fill will be that of Michael Clarke. In hope Smithy moves himself back to #4 with either Khawaja or Burns filling the first drop role. The big money is on brilliant youngster Cameron Bancroft getting the opening spot following the retirement of Buck. Will the selectors agree and blood him against the Bangars?
Targa
Guest
Boult still managed to knock over Pakistan in the UAE, and Sri Lanka in SL. Bangladesh is tougher.
Ankush Deshpande
Roar Rookie
When the news broke out late last year that Ajmal was called for flexing his arm a bit too much, i thought the aussies would roll over Pakistan.but clearly that didn't happen. Babar & the very impressive leggie Yasir Shah showed how lackluster we are against spinners who are of some calibre. Unless there's some miracle of sorts in the coming 6 weeks or so, i reckon we'd struggle against all of their tweakers. So in a nutshell we struggle against in seaming conditions,we struggle in spinning conditions. are there conditions at all where we revel?
ChrisB
Guest
Have you seen their results over the last year? And the way we play in the sub-continent?
ChrisB
Guest
Absolutely. He would destroy him, plenty of catching practice for the cordon
sting
Guest
No. Do not look forward. I have no interest anymore & i ain't having fun doing this (posting comments). And i didn't show my contempt for the writer or the site specifically. It was more general, since almost everyone(writers & sites) is doing it
QuitWhinging
Guest
Wannabet? It will be a free pass
Moose
Guest
Mitch Johnson - as in the one who is the two time (and current) international player of the year? Please.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
I'd rest Starc for this series. Play Johnson in both Tests. In Brisbane bring back in Starc. Give Johnson a farewell in Perth. Siddle should not be considered at all. No way in the world should he be. In the last Test he got Lyth out twice, who averaged under 13 in 9 innings for the series. He also got the 3 tailenders when the match was already decided. All in apparently conditions to suit. Should not be allowed near a Test team again.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Ahmed has almost zero chance of making the Bangladesh tour. In the tour games in both the Windies and England he sprayed the ball around all over the place and went at well over 5rpo in those games. He seems to struggle even with the pressure of just playing tour games so his Test debut would likely be more McGain than Lyon.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
After how incredibly effective was on largely unresponsive and dry decks in the Caribbean I'd definitely be playing him in Bangladesh as the accurate, tight paceman. He might have struggled for control with the Dukes in the 3rd and 4th Ashes Tests but I can't see him having the same problem in Bangladesh with the SG ball, which swings the least of any international ball.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I really hope they move on from S. Marsh now. I think Boult would eat him alive this summer
Gav
Guest
That's why I recon they will play Agar (bowling allrounder, turns the ball the other way to Lyon) Well that and his one on Rod Marsh's pet projects. Watson won't get picked again, especially given the way M Marsh bowled it England.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
It's a good idea for you to come to a site and post to show your contempt for the writer and site. Can we look forward to more of your insight and genius?
Camo McD
Roar Guru
Spot on Benjamin. Bangladesh held a 1st innings lead of 158 in that game too against a fairly handy lineup of Hayden/Hussey/Ponting/Martyn/Clarke/Gilchist/Warne/Lee/Gillespie/Clark/MacGill. Will be very interesting to see how it progresses this time.
Andy
Guest
Khawaja deserves his spot and one thing he never gets is a free pass. He has been the best one day batsman domestically for the last 3 years and in his last shield season averaged 50, he was also the best batsman in the one day Aus A tour. Also he top scored in the final of the matador cup to win it for the Bulls and top scored in the final Against India in the Aus A game so he is a big match player
khuli
Guest
@Ronana i might be wrong but to me it looks like you swapped the first test between bangladash and South Africa with the second test in your report
sting
Guest
Ya, just like Test tour of (afganisthan, nepal, namibia, germany, finland, myas. land,...) will challenge australia. As we know that these teams are of much higher quality than the current good for nothing australia. Nice try, brainwashing the shee. p, to get them think, a lameas.s tour as something important. Too many sheee. p in the public with a brain of 3 yr old child waiting to get brainwashed. If you genuinely believe that bangladesh is as bad as australia ( OR ) australia is as bad as bangladesh, then i applaud you for realising the truth. I don't give a ... about rankings, When i say bad, i mean, a team which can play only on roads (not on a real pitch). I recently made a comment that, clarke is a batsman who can play only on roads. Most of you ignorant candyb.ms laughed at it. Now, after the ashes shame, clarke has publicly called only for flat tracks to be made in tests. Its all over the news. Finally, he publicly admitted that he's not a batsman. It takes lot of guts clarke to admit that you are a pu. y. Good for you clarke. I understand the economics behind writing this. For example, the traffic needed for the website before & during the rubbish tour. This is how it works. You want australia to win so that the public/shee. p are happy. So, 1. you make australia play against a weak team & talk it (garbage tour) up in the media. 2. you make them play against a good team, but play on roads. & talk it (garbage tour) up in the media. 3. you take below average players, talk them up in the media & brainwash the she. p regularly. 4. Just like any other system, once in a while, you create a debacle, so that the public believes in the system. ie, Play on an actual pitch once in thousand matches. Team is happy. Media is happy. Shee. p are happy. Win for all. Just anything to get much traffic to your side. You get money & your ego is happy that you are successfully making the she.p dance to your tunes. What more a pus.y want.
Bucko
Guest
Bangladesh squad; (in batting order) David Warner Cameron Bancroft Joe Burns Steve Smith Adam Voges/Glenn Maxwell (good player of spin) Mitchell Marsh Peter Nevill Steve O'keefe Pat Cummins Peter Siddle Nathan Lyon Bench- Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khawaja, Josh Hazlewood, Ashton Agar. Aus. will need only the three seamers because only two will play and then we have the back up spin option. Voges would probably play ahead of Maxwell for now.