28th over: Bangladesh 39-8 (Taijul 0, Taskin 1) That was chaos! Hazlewood dropped short, Taskin attempted a pull shot, only to send the ball miles into the air almost vertically. Hazlewood jogs in for the return catch but on his way to settling underneath with only eyes for the ball he collides with the batter as he sets off for a run. Taskin did nothing wrong, as the umpires explain to the bowler, but Hazlewood is fuming.

“Every time Cameron Green bowls it looks like someone has told him to bang it in, rather than find a line and length. But of course that’s immaterial now that he is definitely Australia’s star batter,” emails Eamonn Maloney.

I am increasingly confused by Green’s role in this side, or perhaps that should be Webster’s presence in it? Born and raised in England I am well acquainted with the knots selectors can tie themselves in to find a balanced XI. The history of English cricket has long been tied to the fortunes of one talismanic individual, be it Botham, Flintoff, or Stokes.

Australia, by contrast, just go out and pick their best six batters, wicket keeper, three pace bowlers and spinner. There’d be some tinkering around the margins, especially overseas, but everyone knew where they stood.

Does Webster fit in either camp? Selectors have clearly decided Green fits in the top six, as does Alex Carey, but do those calls come at the expense of a more opaque overall strategy? Did Australia benefit this morning by having six bowling options, and using Webster more than Green or Lyon?

That session was all about one spell from Mitchell Starc. He struck with the opening ball of the match and by the seventh over had all five wickets as Bangladesh crumbled to 12-5. A few deliveries swung early on, and there has been consistent movement off the seam, but it wasn’t great batting by the visiting top order, especially Shadman and Tanzid, playing a long way from their bodies.

The main difference for the tourists is the extra bounce on offer in Mackay compared to Darwin. Unsettled by the lift off a length they’ve been unable to get on top of any Australian bowler and the early burst of wickets has meant the home side have been able to ease through their mostly mediocre spells without having to chase wickets.

Australia’s catching has been excellent – one horrendous drop from Webster aside – and Cummins can be praised for his call at the toss and setting relentlessly attacking fields. This is the fightback he demanded.

13th over: Bangladesh 20-5 (Mushfiqur 5, Mehidy 5) Mitchell Starc gets a rest after a spell of six overs five for five. Beau Webster comes on, but it only takes him three deliveries to create a chance. A routine line and length delivery goes through to Carey without much fanfare but the bowler is convinced there’s an edge, unfurling an understated celbrappeal. Cummins is reluctantly convinced to review but DRS gives no indication of an outside edge. Mushfiqur capitalises, clipping a leg-stump half-volley for three.

This partnership is starting to bed in.

Bangladesh have also made one change with rangy left-armer Shoriful Islam replacing Ebadot Hossain in the attack.

The XI selected will go in full of confidence, as skipper Shanto explained earlier this week. “When you score against this kind of team, it gives you a lot of confidence going forward when we play in these kind of conditions or against this kind of bowling attack.”

Shadman, Tanzid, Mominul, Shanto (c), Mushfiqur, Litton, Mehidy, Hasan, Taijul, Taskin, Shoriful.

Matt Renshaw is confirmed as the seventh opener auditioning to fill the void left by David Warner’s retirement in January 2024.

There was also serious consideration given to selecting Scott Boland ahead of Nathan Lyon. Had that occurred it would have been the first time in over a decade that Lyon had missed out in a red (not pink) ball match in Australia, and goes to show how the GOAT is no longer guaranteed a default spot in the Australian XI.

However, had Boland been selected it would have given Cummins six front-line seamers to choose from, including the two allrounders, which seems a very un-Australian way to pick a team and testament to the imperfect nature of this squad.

Head, Renshaw, Labuschagne, Smith, Green, Carey, Webster, Cummins (c), Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood

The pitch is expected to offer more bounce than Darwin, which will suit the extra height and pace in Australia’s attack, and provide the kind of challenge visiting batters often struggle to adapt to.

Groundsman Peter Kazakoff has noted “similarities” to the Gabba, a comparison Steve Smith also made after spending some time in the practise nets.

Bangladesh captain Shanto was unfazed by the possibility of a less favourable surface. “We have different plans. We are not going to play every single Test match in the same way. We try to adjust to the conditions. We try to focus on how they’re going to attack us, and prepare that way. We play differently in the subcontinent. Sometimes it depends on the conditions, the surface, and the bowling attack. So for the last Test match, the plan was that we need to be patient enough. We are not the most experienced side, so sometimes we just have to be patient.”

Today marks the Test debut of the Queensland coastal town of Mackay, joining 11 previous men’s Test venues in Australia. Mackay is on the border of central and northern Queensland, and overlooks the Coral Sea.

The town’s sporting precinct was originally christened Harrup Park, with the cricket oval named in honour of long-time adminitsrator Ray Mitchell. However, since 2018 it has taken on the far more exotic title of the Great Barrier Reef Arena.

The maiden first-class match was played in 1995, but the second didn’t arrive for another 20 years. On that occasion New South Wales defeated Queensland in the Sheffield Shield but remains notable today for the match’s top scorer, young Bulls opener Matt Renshaw, who struck 170.

Preamble

Welcome to live OBO coverage of the second Test between Australia and Bangladesh from the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Play begins at 10am AEST.

As Australian sporting attention remains trained on the winter football codes the men’s cricket team somehow finds itself in the spotlight.

Last week they were comprehensively outplayed by Bangladesh in the first Test of what was expected to be an off-Broadway soft launch to an epic 12 month odyssey. By this time next year Australia will have touched down in South Africa, India, and England, with the conclusion of the 2027 Ashes expected to be accompanied by a host of retirements and a major changing of the guard.

Far from a regulation victory, Darwin proved catastrophic for the confident hosts. We will find out in Mackay if this was an undercooked side easing into its work or possibly the cause for greater concern.

Selectors saw enough to curtail Jake Weatherald’s international ambitions after just six Tests. The nearly 32-year-old opener averaged just 20 and demonstrated the kind of technical issues with his footwork and blade path that are ill-suited to being rectified in the glare of Test cricket.

Nearly 10 years after debuting as a 20-year-old, Matt Renshaw is the next cab off the rank to audition for the role of Australian Test opener.

Other names in the spotlight this weekend will be Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Lyon. First drop turned 32 recently and hasn’t struck a century since 2023, since when he’s averaged 25 from 22 matches. Lyon, Australia’s spin-bowling lynchpin for 15 years, is almost 39 and increasingly familiar with the physio’s table. He underwhelmed on his return from a major hamstring strain, and is one of the few players to face serious competition for his place from outside the squad with Corey Rocchiccioli name-checked frequently by the former internationals on TV duty in Darwin.