It’s finally time to get back to the cricket! With the bitter pay dispute drawing to a close, Steve Smith’s team head on tour to face the rapidly improving Bangladesh.
At one point, it looked like this series was on the chopping block. There was no end in sight for Cricket Australia’s ridiculous pay dispute, and while it was always thought the tour of India and Ashes would go ahead, there was a belief this series would be shelled.
Australia’s tour of Bangladesh was already postponed from 2015, after security threats put it on the back burner. That makes this the first time the men from Down Under have toured the troubled subcontinent region since Jason Gillespie scored a double hundred in 2006.
And haven’t the Tigers come a long way since then? Formerly an international cricket laughing stock, but no longer a pushover, the Bangladeshis have had a strong 2017 and will look to continue that here.
This is a side who drew a series at home with England last year, and the Poms are better at playing spin than the Aussies.
The Tigers did lose away from home to New Zealand, but they then came back to the subcontinent and drew a series away from home against Sri Lanka.
They have a good mix of experience and youth and must be taken seriously, with their spin attack on home soil almost as dangerous as India. Australia, of course, struggle against spin – that’s a well-known fact.
In saying that, many had the same doubts for Australia before they toured India earlier this year.
They lost 2-1 after a collapse in Dharamsala, but there was nothing to be ashamed of. They went into hostile conditions against one of the best teams in the world and did a better job than most thought they might.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
The problem this time around is that they are playing Bangladesh and therefore Smith’s men are expected to win this series – anything less will be considered a failure.
Australia have to deal with expectation and pressure, and it’s not something they haven’t done well on the subcontinent. They were similarly expected to win the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka, but that went pear-shaped.
Comparisons between that series and this one can be drawn, the Aussies taking on a young team, looking to upstage one of the giants of international cricket in their own backyard.
A quick note about the match history – every other Test playing nation has taken on Bangladesh at least ten times, besides India (who have played nine). Therefore, there’s no ‘last five matches’ below.
History
The full match-by-match list
April 16-20, 2006 – Australia won by an innings and 80 runs in Chittagong
April 9-13, 2006 – Australia won by 3 wickets in Fattulah
July 25-28, 2003 – Australia won by an innings and 98 runs in Cairns
July 18-20, 2003 – Australia won by an innings and 132 runs in DarwinSeries history
2006 – Australia defeat Bangladesh 2-0 in Bangladesh
2003 – Australia defeat Bangladesh 2-0 in AustraliaRemaining series fixtures
Second Test – Sunday September 4 – Friday September 8 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong (2pm start)
Will we get a result?
Unfortunately, it’s a question we have to ask, as the weather forecast for Dhaka over the next week and a bit is absolutely woeful.
It’s either raining all day, or the perfect setup for an afternoon thunderstorm – you know the type of day – hot, humid and then ‘boom, clap, bang’, that’s stumps.
Day 2 is our best chance of getting a full day’s play in, and even then, the chance of an afternoon thunderstorm is large.
Touring Bangladesh during monsoon season is beginning to seem like a dumb idea. The warm-up game got flooded out, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see two drawn Test matches, as unfortunate as that is.
However, we did see plenty of afternoon thunderstorms during the series against Sri Lanka last year, so we could hope for that again as a best case scenario.
| Day | Temperature (degrees celsius) | Humidity | Chance of rain |
| 1 – Sunday | 32 | 77% | 80% |
| 2 – Monday | 33 | 70% | 20% |
| 3 – Tuesday | 33 | 71% | 50% |
| 4 – Wednesday | 33 | 72% | 80% |
| 5 – Thursday | 33 | 75% | 70% |
How many pace bowlers will Bangladesh play?
The home side have included three quicks in their 15-man squad: Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam and youngster Taskin Ahmed.
Rahman was selected in Sri Lanka alongside Subashis Roy, with the pair opening the bowling, but there is a line of thought that the Tigers won’t play two pace bowlers this time around.
Mustafizur Rahman did a solid job against Sri Lanka and in his four Tests has taken 12 wickets at an average of 23, which is leaps and bounds above the other two.
Islam, while just 22 years of age, has been carted for an average of 80 so far. He will improve on that, because he has the natural ability, but it would be a huge risk to play him in a series as big as this.
Shafiul is the most experienced of the three, having played nine Tests, but in challenging conditions, his average of 53 doesn’t sing. Still, one would expect him to play the first Test.
Because Shakib Al Hasan bats in the top five, Bangladesh can play two quicks alongside three spinners. That was originally looking like four, but they left Mahmudullah out of the squad.
It looks like the best recipe for the Tigers will be two spinners, with Al Hasan and two quicks.
Can Australia overcome Mehidy Hasan and co?
For those who missed last year’s England series, Mehidy Hasan had one of the greatest debuts Test cricket has ever seen. In two Tests, he took 19 wickets at 16 and spun a web around England.
While the 19-year-old struggled on his first foray outside the subcontinent, to New Zealand, he left Sri Lanka in trouble during March, taking match figures of 4-161 from 45 overs.
Hasan currently has 35 wickets in seven Tests, which is nothing to scoff at. Because of the experience of Al Hasan alongside him, he is able to try different things, bowl to his skill set, and not worry about being the leader of the attack.
It’s made Mehidy’s transition into Test cricket seamless, and if he can continue along this trajectory, he is going to have Australia in all sorts of trouble.
Taijul Islam could be the wildcard. While he missed the series against Sri Lanka, he averages 34 in Test cricket, and is a very good bowler in home conditions.
If Australia can’t see their way past the three-pronged spin attack consistently, they will lose – and lose badly.
(Photo by Martin Hunter/Getty Images)
How will the tourists’ team balance?
To beat Bangladesh, having quality spin bowling will be key – and the first problem.
Steve O’Keefe being left out of the squad after his workload in India doesn’t make a great deal of sense. Nathan Lyon will again be the lead spinner, but he is going to have to pick up a lot of extra work, with Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell likely to be the other options.
Neither Agar or Maxwell are proven on the subcontinent, and Lyon has struggled at times to bowl with enough control to wrap up matches.
While three spinners is all good and well, they have to be actually doing something with the ball, or they might as well not be there.
Two pace bowlers seems to be the general consensus, as it was in India. Without Mitchell Starc though, one would expect wickets are going to be far more difficult to come by. Patrick Cummins will replace the sheer pace-factor somewhat, while Josh Hazlewood will need to be accurate and simply zero in on an off-stump line all day.
The question really, is will Australia play more than one all rounder? Hilton Cartwright is likely to watch on from the sidelines, but he could well bat in the middle order, with Usman Khawaja left out, to give the Aussies another bowling option – especially with the amount of rain around.
(AP Photo/A.M. Ahad, file)
Bangladesh must get rid of Steve Smith early
Steve Smith is, without a doubt, Australia’s best player of spin. The captain is going to have a huge role to play in this series, as he did in India and Sri Lanka before it.
If Smith is to be removed early, the pressure is going to be on guys who may not be able to handle it, especially if he comes in with David Warner removed.
Despite Warner’s statistical struggles in Asia, his technique against spin always looks good, and this is an opportunity for him to dispel a few myths about his batting. Alongside Smith, he will be the key for Australia, especially should they be required to chase in the fourth innings.
Peter Handscomb proved in India he can play spin, but coming in directly after a departed Smith against a side who have nothing to lose? Now that’s a whole new set of circumstances.
Nathan Lyon will be under the pump from ball one
Nathan Lyon has drawn plenty of criticism over the years for his inability to dominate in Asia, and like Warner at the top of the order, this is an opportunity for him to finally get on top of things.
If Bangladesh bat aggressively – and, given the weather, they may have no choice – and simply hit Lyon out of the attack, then it’s going to shoot his confidence and ruin Australia’s plans.
And that’s the exact strategy the Tigers should take.
Lyon is at his best when he is in control of the situation, able to bowl restrictively and build pressure. If he is forced to slow his pace down, and mix lines and lengths, the Tigers will have won the battle.
(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Bangladesh vs Australia: First Test key information
First ball: 2pm (AEST) – 10am (local)
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Online: Live, Foxtel app and Foxtel now
Betting: Australia $1.57, Bangladesh $6, drawn $3.40
Overall record: Played 4, Australia 4, Bangladesh 0
Last meeting: April 16-20, 2006 – Australia won by an innings and 80 runs in Chittagong
Umpires: Nigel Llong and Aleem Dar (on-field), Ian Gould (3rd umpire)
Odds correct at 10am, Thursday August 24
Squads
Australia (likely XI and reserves)
1. David Warner (vc)
2. Matt Renshaw
3. Usman Khawaja
4. Steve Smith (c)
5. Peter Handscomb
6. Glenn Maxwell
7. Matthew Wade (wk)
8. Ashton Agar
9. Patrick Cummins
10. Josh Hazlewood
11. Nathan Lyon
Reserves – Jackson Bird, Mitchell Swepson, Hilton Cartwright
Bangladesh (likely XI and reserves)
1. Tamim Iqbal
2. Imrul Kayes
3. Mominul Haque
4. Sabbir Rahman
5. Shakib Al Hasan
6. Mushfiqur Rahim (c/wk)
7. Souyma Sarkar
8. Shafiul Islam
9. Mehidy Hasan
10. Taijul Islam
11. Mustafizur Rahman
Reserves: Liton Das, Nasir Hossain, Mossaedk Hossain, Taskin Ahmed
Hours of play
| Session | Start (AEST) | Finish (AEST) | Start (local) | Finish (local) | Duration |
| Morning session | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2 hours |
| Lunch | 4:00 PM | 4:40 PM | 12:00 PM | 12:40 PM | 40 minutes |
| Afternoon session | 4:40 PM | 6:40 PM | 12:40 PM | 2:40 PM | 2 hours |
| Tea | 6:40 PM | 7:00 PM | 2:40 PM | 3:00 PM | 20 minutes |
| Evening session | 7:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 2 hours |
Match starts Sunday, August 27
Prediction
As much as I hate talking about the prospect of a Test being drawn before it even starts, that’s the option that springs to mind.
The weather in Dhaka looks set to be woeful. Sure, it’s a long-range forecast, but it’s certainly notable that the only warm-up game Australia had scheduled was washed out.
If they do manage to get enough play, then it’s going to come down to who’s more aggressively.
Even without winning the toss, taking early wickets with the new ball while there’s still likely to be some moisture in the pitch will be important. After that, Bangladesh take over with their spinners.
Australia might be favourites, and they may never have gone close to losing a match against Bangladesh before, but this is no foregone conclusion.
Hard to see anything other than a draw, but if enough cricket is played, Bangladesh will win a close one.
Don’t forget The Roar will have a live blog of each and every day played by the Australian national team, as well as highlights throughout the match.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know that it's about patience. He's often got out in these conditions playing a defensive stroke where he just played for the turn but the ball didn't grip and turn it just skidded on straight and hit him on the pad. That's again how he got out here in the first innings and how many of the wickets fell in Sri Lanka, playing for the turn, but the natural variation just means some just don't turn and slide straight on. That's an issue whether you are playing attacking or defensively. The big difference to playing spin in Australia is that the ball tends to behave consistently when it pitches. So you can pick the ball out of the hand. If the bowler wants it to go straight on he has to change what he delivers, rather than just landing it in the same spot knowing some will spin and some won't. In sub-continental conditions it seems you need to play it off the pitch. So you either have to get to the pitch to counter the spin (which a sweep shot can do for a big guy with a long reach), or get right back to give yourself time to read it off the pitch and adjust, or, if you can't manage either of them, you play for the more dangerous ball. So if going straight is heading for the stumps, you play that, and if it turns it will hopefully just beat the edge. If spinning is going to hit the stumps then you play for the spin and hope that if it slides on it will just miss everything. That's a matter of technique, rather than temperament. I haven't seen all of Warners sub-continental innings, but I'm pretty sure he's more often getting out like that, rather than playing a rash shot, which would make it more technique than temperament.
Ben Sewell
Roar Pro
Tbh I wouldn't have either, get swepson in there!
Rob JM
Guest
Agar has a bowling average of 34 away from the WACA, pretty much the same as Lyon. He won't have the impact in the first innings like Lyon does but Lyon has always struggled to bowl us to victory. Having a guy who could score hundreds form no 8 is a huge bonus for a side. The best comparison to agar would be Dan Vettori! I'd pick dan over Lyon any day! Obviously Agar still has a lot to prove.
Ben Sewell
Roar Pro
Wade would want to impress this test series or he SHOULD be on thin ice for the ashes. As far as Agar is concerned, I hope he proves me wrong, but I just can't see him being a long term spin option and as such, why pick him?
peter chrisp
Guest
Have been looking 4 ward to it too as suggested with rain due during the game who knows how much play we will get
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
The weather forecast for Sunday isn't great. Still we should hope for the best.
Brissie Boy
Guest
Thought Holland was a bit hard done by not to at least get a spot in the squad after an absolutely fantastic 50-wicket season in the Shield (think Sayers was the only one ahead of him on the wicket-taking list). Either way, should be a cracking series and given the limited preparation the Aussies have had, would be hesitant to even put them as slight favourites. Even 10 years ago, when Ponting and co. were at the peak of their powers, they went in to the First Test without a warm-up game and almost got beaten, having to chase down 327 in the final innings. The Tigers have improved a lot since then...
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Another dry day here in Dhaka. Hopefully the weather remains the same over the coming week.
BurgyGreen
Guest
I think it's a bit harsh to say that Maxwell hasn't been consistent when he's never had a chance to play more than two Tests in a row until now. It's also harsh to say that he should have to have two really good Tests with the bat - virtually every batsman (other than injury replacements) get a longer run than that, especially when they score a century in their first game back. It's really no surprise that Maxwell hasn't yet truly made his mark on Test level when he's clearly never been shown any confidence or been given a chance to settle into a role. In his 5 games so far he's batted in every position from opener to 7. Give the man a chance. If Mitch Marsh got 20 Tests, surely Maxwell deserves a fair shake.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
I hope Steve Smith gets big scores every match. I want to see the Aussies very competitive and he's key.
matth
Guest
Unfortunately, O'Keefe pretty much made himself unpickable. I wish Agar all the best, but obviously O'Keefe has the better record by a mile. Agar's stats are influenced by playing half his games at the WACA, which is generally poor for spinners. Things I am hoping for from this tour: - Cummins to still be fit at the end of it (this will be a copy and paste into every series from now until the end of his career) - Maxwell to cement his place - Australia to put on a big total without Steve Smith carrying them - Renshaw to continue his development.
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
It not just about the technique, it is about the temperament in subcontinent for Warner. Haydos had that in plenty. He played amazingly well in India and also in UAE and Sri Lanka. Warner has all the shots in the book and is good against spinners but he just struggles on pitches which turn as he does not get his head down and fight. Agree with you that if a batsman sweeps well, he can put the spinner under lots of pressure. Warner does not have to play the sweep, he needs to trust his defence and be little patient.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
The forecast may not look good, but I wouldn't take too much from the warm-up game being a wash out. By all reports that wasn't just because they'd had a lot of rain but because they'd scheduled the match at a ground they was flooded for reasons other than rain, and had been for months, and the amount of rain around may have made it harder to get the water off, but I suspect it was all part of a plan to help the Aussies be as unprepared as possible. Otherwise why schedule the only warm-up match for a ground that was perennially waterlogged with contaminated water and needed an immense effort to have any chance of being ready for play? They could have made alternative arrangements ages ago. And especially when the tour is going ahead amidst security concerns that result in their being really heightened security around the Aussie team, they aren't just going to go off to any old suburban ground at a couple of days notice to get a game in. So they managed to schedule a lone warm-up match in a way that they could pretty much guarantee it wouldn't happen.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Agree about Agar. Though I actually think he bowled better than his stats suggested in England. He really bowled without luck, generally maintained good lines, and while he didn't turn it as much as Swann or Lyon, he still gave it a decent amount of turn. He even had a couple of chances missed that could have made a massive difference. And he's come on a lot since then also. So yes, he could do well. The conditions will probably suit him well. Also agree on the first bit. Pretty much all the top international teams are in that boat at the moment. England can play well, but have some serious question marks in their lineup. South Africa seem like they are emploding a bit. The main reason for India's climb to the top of the rankings is that since they last toured Australia they have only played a single test series outside the sub-continent, and that was against the West Indies. That's a run of 28 tests without a testing away series. That will change for them, they'll travel to SA, England, Australia, NZ etc and they'll probably suddenly find themselves sliding down the rankings a bit too.
AREH
Roar Guru
Agree on your last point especially; he is basically unrecognizable as a bowler in comparison to the last time he played a test match; they clearly think very highly of his bowling and acknowledge how much it has improved. However aside from that brilliant 10WM at the SCG, he hardly set the competition alight in the FC arena, and his Shield stats are average at best as has been well pointed out on here. It's somewhat of a pick and hope, and I am sure it could come off, but he has to bowl really really well here as there's still plenty to prove.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Hayden would be completely the wrong person for Warner to talk to. Hayden basically prospered by just sweeping, sweeping and more sweeping and part of the reason for being able to do that well is being such a tall batsman who can get really good reach down the pitch when he plays the sweep. Warner, being about a foot shorter, simply doesn't have the reach and thus the sweep shot is a much more dangerous shot for him than it was for Hayden.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
You talk about England as better players of spin than Australia, but both teams toured India last summer and England got hammered 4-0 including a couple of innings defeats. So recent history doesn't suggest that they are superior players in those conditions at all.
Lancey5times
Roar Rookie
I just reckon the current Aussie outfit is a typical international side in 2017. Huge potential to win big or get flogged it foreign conditions, a couple of world class players, an unsettled opening pair, injury prone bowlers and an average keeper/batsman. Really you could apply 80% of these traits to just about every nation. As for Agar, I think he is a good choice. There is a reasonable amount of history that says tall slow bowlers that aren't big turners get results on the subcontinent. And while he is still a work in progress he is certainly a better bowler than 4 years ago in England
AGordon
Guest
I think your suggestion is a exactly right for Warner, Giri. There are only two problems with it; Warner has to ask, then he has to listen. I remain to be convinced he can do either, unless there is a "very big stick" attached - Boof or someone he respects needs to get in his ear, tell him to talk and LISTEN to Haydos, then use that advice with his bating...... or else he might find himself only selected for games in Australia.
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
Warner will do well to talk to someone like Hayden, who had brilliant time in Subcontinent. He played spin so well and that too without changing his natural game. Warner needs to get rid of his "out of the jail" shots. Slog Sweeps don't belong on turning tracks. He needs to trust his defence more on such wickets.