Australia unleashed a devastating bowling performance in the first innings of the Mackay Test, leaving the Bangladesh batting lineup in tatters. By the time the game reached the tenth over, the visitors were reeling at 13 runs for the loss of five wickets. Mitchell Starc proved to be the primary architect of this destruction, claiming all five early dismissals in a clinical display of pace and swing bowling.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl on a fresh, lively pitch, Australia immediately exploited the conditions. The collapse began on the very first ball of the match when opener Shadman Islam was dismissed. Starc struck again with the first ball of his second over, removing opener Tanzid Tamim for a duck. The very next delivery saw Najmul Hossain Shanto trapped leg-before-wicket; despite a review, the decision stood. With three top-order batters falling for zero, the pressure shifted to senior players Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim to stabilize the innings.
The recovery effort proved short-lived. Mominul Haque fell for 9 runs after a diving catch by Cameron Green, leaving Bangladesh struggling at 10 for 4. Litton Das, who had also failed to score in his previous outing, joined the crease only to be dismissed for another duck. Although the umpire initially turned down an appeal for a leg-before-wicket decision against Starc, a successful Australian review confirmed the dismissal. This left the team in a dire state at 12 for 5 after just 6.4 overs. Starc’s remarkable spell saw him secure those five wickets within a span of just 22 deliveries. As the team faces this intense pressure on a bouncy, pace-friendly surface, the focus now shifts to whether the partnership between Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz can salvage the innings from the middle-order collapse.
