Cricket-Lethal left-armers star as Australia take 101-run lead against Bangladesh in second test


FILE PHOTO: Cricket - The Ashes - Australia v England - First Test - Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia - November 21, 2025 Australia's Mitchell Starc celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Ben Stokes REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/File Photo

Aug 22 (Reuters) - Left-arm pacemen Mitchell Starc ⁠and Shoriful Islam starred with six-wicket hauls as Bangladesh rallied from a dreadful start to pin back Australia on a roller-coaster ⁠opening day of the second test on Saturday.

Eighteen wickets fell on the bouncy Mackay wicket, with Australia limping to ‌165 for eight at stumps but holding a 101-run lead after blasting out the tourists for 64 in the first innings.

All-rounder Cameron Green, one of the few batters to stand up amid the carnage, was 51 not out, continuing his renaissance after scoring a century in Australia's stunning nine-wicket loss in the series opener in Darwin.

Tailender Nathan Lyon ​was 10 not out.

The recalled Shorifultook three wickets in five balls in the final ⁠hour to celebrate his first five-wicket haul in tests after ⁠missing Darwin with a hamstring strain.

He finished the day with 6-35, having helped drag Bangladesh back into the match after all seemed ⁠lost ‌in the morning.

SWINGING STARC

With Australia trailing 1-0 in the two-match series and under fire after the Darwin shock, captain Pat Cummins won the toss and put his quicks to work on a wicket prepared like a typical Gabba pitch.

Starc delivered with a brilliant display of ⁠swing bowling, taking 6-12, including the first five wickets in 22 balls.

The 36-year-old's ​masterclass was the sixth-fastest five-wicket haul in tests. ‌He also holds the fastest, having taken five in 15 balls against West Indies in Kingston last year.

His fifth wicket ⁠on Saturday, dismissing wicketkeeper ​Litton Das lbw for a duck, lifted him above South Africa's Dale Steyn to 10th on the all-time test wickets list with 441 dismissals.

Starc's final wicket -- Shoriful for 14 -- wrapped up Bangladesh's innings just after lunch, but Najmul Hossain Shanto's side hit back hard.

Shoriful led the way with 6-35, rattling through Australia's top order.

He ⁠bowled opener Travis Head (22) and out-of-form number three Marnus Labuschagne (4), before trapping Steve ​Smith lbw for 42, ending a 77-run partnership with Green.

Ironically, Shoriful was also Bangladesh's top scorer with the bat with 14 off 19 balls despite a short-pitched assault from fast bowler Cummins.

Shoriful took revenge on Cummins by dismissing him for a duck with a brutal bouncer that pinged off ⁠glove and shoulder for an easy catch behind the wicket.

"It felt great because he bounced me and hit my shoulder,” Shoriful said on the ground after stumps with a laugh.

Australia will hope to extend the lead on day two despite another concerning top order failure compounded by a middle order collapse.

Recalled opener Matt Renshaw, who replaced Jake Weatherald after his twin failures in Darwin, was caught in the slips for eight off ​the bowling of Taskin Ahmed.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw away his wicket, caught for five trying to ⁠slog spin-bowling all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Carey's dismissal triggered a collapse, with all-rounder Beau Webster out lbw for a duck as Australia lost four wickets for ​three runs.

Webster was one of six ducks for the day, which included four for ‌Bangladesh in their early rout.

None of Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Shanto and ​Das troubled the scoreboard -- all falling to Starc during his six-wicket blitz.

Cummins also came back strongly with the ball for Australia, taking 3-25 after managing only a single wicket in the Darwin shock.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by William Mallard)

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