Mackay’s Harrup Park staged its first men’s Test as the two-match series moved north from Darwin, making it the 12th Australian venue to host one. The match carried added weight after Bangladesh’s nine-wicket victory in Darwin, its first Test win on Australian soil. It also made Bangladesh only the third Asian team, after India and Pakistan, to win a men’s Test in Australia.
Bangladesh set up that victory with a first-innings total of 426. Tanzid Hasan scored 101, and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made 84. Mehidy Hasan Miraz contributed 65. Josh Hazlewood took six wickets for 89, but Australia’s batting could not match the visitors’ total. Shanto called the Darwin result “Bangladesh’s biggest win in any format,” information from ANI, and praised the growing influence of fast bowlers.
Australia responded emphatically in Mackay: Pat Cummins’ side won by an innings and 51 runs to level the series 1-1. Australia made 210, while Bangladesh was dismissed for 64 and 95. The match lasted two days, with Mitchell Starc leading Australia’s bowling effort. Cameron Green scored 67 in Australia’s second innings, the only Australian half-century in that innings, according to Cricket Australia.
The result reversed the momentum from Darwin and ended Bangladesh’s chance of a series clean sweep. Before the Mackay Test, Australia was weighing whether conditions called for an all-pace attack, with Nathan Lyon’s place in question as selectors considered Scott Boland. Lyon kept his place in the announced XI. The debate captured Australia’s tactical choices after its first-match defeat. The team won decisively without dropping its established spin option.
Australia’s batting remained under discussion despite the series-leveling victory. Travis Head said the team needed to find “that collective batting day.” Cricket Australia noted that Green’s 104 in Darwin and 67 in Mackay stood out among Australia’s contributions during the Top End series. Head also described Australia’s 210 in Mackay as “enough for two innings,” reflecting how decisively the bowlers shaped the result.
For Bangladesh, the series brought a historic breakthrough in Australia, followed by a sharp reversal at a new Test venue. For Australia, the innings victory prevented a series defeat and restored parity. The 1-1 result left two defining performances on the tour: Bangladesh’s first Test win in Australia at Marrara Oval in Darwin, followed by Australia’s rapid response at Harrup Park in Mackay.
