Starc, Shoriful headline 18-wicket opening day in Mackay

Eighteen wickets fell on a sensational opening day in Mackay, with two six-wicket hauls from left-arm seamers turning the opening day of the maiden Test at this coastal Queensland venue into an old-fashioned bowlers' carnival. Days after a stunning defeat in Darwin, Australia hit back in emphatic fashion, bowling Bangladesh out for 64 – their fourth-lowest Test total – courtesy a Mitchell Starc special before enduring a dramatic collapse of their own on the way to a crucial 101-run lead at stumps.

Pat Cummins won the toss and sent Bangladesh in, and Starc barely paused for breath from there. He struck with the very first ball of the match, nicking off Shadman Islam at gully. Wickets tumbled in clusters with four of the top-six falling without scoring, and Bangladesh were reduced to 12 for 5 inside seven overs.

Starc's pace and shape with the new ball left the batters with no answers, and he had run through five of them in the space of 22 balls before Mushfiqur Rahim's resistance denied him the chance of a hat-trick. There was a brief rally through the middle of the innings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud saw out the first session as Bangladesh limped to 35 for 6 at the break, but the respite didn't last. Cummins struck twice more after Lunch while Josh Hazlewood chipped in with a wicket of his own, and Starc returned to finish the job, mopping up the tail to complete a stunning 6 for 12 from 10 overs, a haul that carried him past Dale Steyn's 439 Test wickets.

Bangladesh were bowled out in just 34 overs, their innings done and dusted less than an hour into the second session, with only a defiant knock from the tail lifting them clear of their all-time lowest score (43 vs West Indies).

Despite failures for the returning Matt Renshaw, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, Australia's reply seemed serene enough, and for a while it looked like they'd end the day in complete dominance. Steven Smith and Cameron Green made batting look almost simple on a surface that had wreaked havoc all morning, working the gaps with soft hands and cashing in on anything short or straight to push the scoring rate past five an over. The pair put on 77 for the fourth wicket off just 108 balls.

Then came the Shoriful Islam show. Having already top scored in the Bangladesh innings with 14 and then accounting for Head and Labuschagne, the left-armer found the same discipline and shape that had brought Starc his rewards earlier in the day, and he made the breakthrough that mattered most, trapping Smith LBW for 42 right on the drinks break in the final session.

It proved to be the moment the innings turned. What had been a comfortable day for Australia disintegrated into chaos. Alex Carey charged out and miscued a length ball to mid-on to leave Australia 145 for 5. They then lost 3 for 3 as Shoriful sent back Beau Webster and Pat Cummins for ducks before fittingly cleaning up Starc to match his six-fer.

Through all of it, one man stood unmoved. Cameron Green batted with the same clarity and calm that he appeared to have discovered in that return-to-form century in Darwin. His unbeaten 51 was a genuine gem carved out on a pitch that had offered demons to virtually every other batter who walked out to face it. His resistance ensured Australia closed the day 101 runs ahead, a lead that, given the carnage of the opening day, could prove to be substantial.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 64 (Shoriful Islam 14; Mitchell Starc 6-12, Pat Cummins 3-25) trail Australia 165/8 (Cameron Green 51*, Steve Smith 42; Shoriful Islam 6-35) by 101 runs.