A week after producing one of the greatest victories in their history, Bangladesh were brought crashing back to earth in Mackay.
The Tigers went from beating Australia by nine wickets in Darwin to suffering an innings-and-51-run defeat inside two days in the second Test on Sunday, ending the two-match series 1-1.
The reversal was as dramatic as it was complete.
In Darwin, Bangladesh became the quickest Asian team to win a Test in Australia, doing so on their third attempt Down Under. They had also beaten Australia for only the second time in Test cricket and recorded just their second Test victory in a SENA country.
In Mackay, their batting simply fell apart.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 64 in the first innings and 95 in the second, failing to reach three figures in either innings for the first time in their Test history. They became the first team in 21 years to be dismissed for under 100 in both innings of a Test.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 64 in the first innings and 95 in the second, failing to reach three figures in either innings for the first time in their Test history. They became the first team in 21 years to be dismissed for under 100 in both innings of a Test.
Bangladesh had made 426 in the first innings in Darwin. In Mackay, they managed just 159 runs across two innings.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted the batting failure was unacceptable, even while acknowledging the difficulty of batting first.
“It’s disappointing, to be very honest,” Shanto said after the match. “I believe the toss is a big factor, especially first-innings batting was quite difficult. But no excuses, we didn’t bat well and they have been bowling very well.”
Mitchell Starc was the chief destroyer.
The left-arm quick took 6-12 in Bangladesh's first innings before returning to claim 4-39 in the second, finishing with 10-51 for the match. It was his fourth 10-wicket haul in Tests and left Bangladesh's top order with few answers to his pace and movement.
Starc's brilliance, however, was only part of the problem.
Bangladesh's batters repeatedly played at balls they could have left and offered chances in areas Australia were waiting for. Four of their first-innings batters failed to score, while their second innings never gathered enough momentum to put Australia under serious pressure.
The conditions were certainly difficult. The Mackay surface offered pace, bounce and movement, particularly with the new ball. But Australia handled them far better.
Shanto also pointed to the contrast in how such conditions are discussed in different parts of the world.
“Normally when we play in the subcontinent and 18-19 wickets fall in a day, there is a lot of talk,” he said. “Eighteen wickets fell on Day 1 here too. People need to understand that.”
There was at least one significant positive for Bangladesh.
Shoriful Islam, returning from a hamstring injury, produced the best figures by a Bangladesh bowler in an away Test, taking 7-48. His dismissal of Cameron Green for 67 ended another substantial innings from the Australian all-rounder, who had scored 104 in Darwin.
But Shoriful's effort was ultimately rendered futile by the batting collapse.
Australia, meanwhile, finished the series with a powerful response to their Darwin humiliation. Green followed his century with another half-century, while Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon supported Starc to ensure Bangladesh never recovered.
The speed of the defeat added another layer to the embarrassment. Only 750 balls were bowled across the Test, making it the second-shortest Test ever played in Australia and the fourth-shortest in Test history.
The speed of the defeat added another layer to the embarrassment. Only 750 balls were bowled across the Test, making it the second-shortest Test ever played in Australia and the fourth-shortest in Test history.
Yet Shanto insisted the Mackay defeat should not erase what Bangladesh achieved a week earlier.
“Have you forgotten the first Test? I haven’t forgotten it,” he said. “I don’t think the people of our country have forgotten either. It’s a huge achievement.”
It's a huge achievement. We should definitely celebrate [the series result], while learning from this match on how to perform better in these conditions.
He added: “All in all, we should definitely celebrate [the series result], while learning from this match on how to perform better in these conditions.”
For Bangladesh, the 1-1 series still represents progress. They have now beaten Australia in Australia and shown they can compete with the world's best.
But Mackay exposed a worrying gap between potential and consistency.
