Starc bags ten as Australia square series with two-day rout

All it took Australia was half an over after Tea to wrap up a dominating innings and 51-run victory on just the second day of the Mackay Test, drawing the series with Bangladesh 1-1. Mitchell Starc was among the wickets early again in the second innings as well, claiming 4 for 39 to complete a match ten-for. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon chipped in with three apiece as Bangladesh folded for 95 after making just 64 in their first innings.

Hosts Australia added 45 runs to their overnight 165 to finish with 210, securing a significant lead of 146 runs that proved more than sufficient against insipid Bangladesh. After losing a couple of early wickets in the day, Cameron Green – unbeaten on 51 overnight – added 38 valuable runs for the ninth wicket partnership with Lyon, who chipped in a handy 32 not out to propel the side past the 200-run mark. Shoriful Islam added a seventh wicket to his tally to register the best figures by a Bangladeshi pacer in Tests.

Starc took the new ball and was among the wickets in his second over itself, striking off successive deliveries to send back Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque for 1 and 0 respectively. Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto denied him a hat-trick, but Pat Cummins struck soon after at the other end to take out opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, reducing the visitors to 24/3.

Shanto, the fourth man to fall, had scored 31 off Bangladesh's 51 at the time of his dismissal as Lyon joined the party. The wicket procession continued well into the second session, with neither of the batters in lower order managing a score in double-digits.

Litton Das became Starc's tenth wicket in the game, and Cummins returned to send back Mehidy Hasan Miaz and Hasan Mahmud in back-to-back overs. Lyon cleaned up the tail three balls into the final session to finish with a three-for himself, wrapping up Bangladesh for just 95 for a convincing innings victory.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 64 (Mitchell Starc 6-12, Pat Cummins 3-25) & 95 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 31, Mushfiqur Rahim 29; Mitchell Starc 4-39, Pat Cummins 3-10, Nathan Lyon 3-25) lost to Australia 210 (Cameron Green 67, Steve Smith 42; Soriful Islam 7-48) by an innings and 51 runs