Pat Cummins opts to bowl first as Australia host Bangladesh in debut Test at Mackay; Shoriful Islam returns

Australia won the toss and elected to bowl against Bangladesh

Australia captain Pat Cummins chose to bowl first after winning the toss against Bangladesh at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, cricket’s newest Test venue. He had won the toss in the previous match in Darwin but surprisingly opted to bat first, catching many off guard.

The two sides renew their contest after Bangladesh’s surprise nine‑wicket victory in the opening Test at Darwin, with the visitors looking to build on that success while Australia aim to recover at home.

Jake Weatherald has been replaced by Matt Renshaw in the home team’s XI, announced ahead of the match. There was speculation that Nathan Lyon might be omitted to allow a four‑man pace attack, but Australia ultimately kept their quartet of bowlers – all having taken 300+ Test wickets – intact.

Bangladesh have recalled left‑arm quick Shoriful Islam, replacing Ebadot Hossain, to break up their previous winning combination. Shoriful has recovered from a hamstring strain sustained during Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe last month.

The rest of the Bangladesh playing XI remains unchanged. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto retains the same balance of three quicks and two spinners. Tanzid Hasan, who scored his maiden Test century in Darwin, is set to play after recovering from a stiff neck, while veteran wicket‑keeper Mushfiqur Rahim has been declared fit despite a finger injury sustained during training in Mackay.

Australia: 1 Travis Head, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Beau Webster, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Bangladesh: 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Shadman Islam, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Hasan Mahmud, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Shoriful Islam

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