Australian Victory is Nathan Lyon's Coming of Age

It is difficult to get a true perspective on what yesterday’s Test victory for Australia really means. Many would say that Australia should have won this Test as easily as it did, as it should have a superiority over the still-developing Bangladesh team that could be brought to the fore as it was in taking victory on the fourth afternoon. Others will point to the team’s poor performance on sub-continent wickets and their loss in the 1st Test and suggest that to come back after that was a wonderful effort. It is hard to please everyone or to get a real line on what the win means for Australian cricket – a great victory and reward for hard work in these conditions, or barely managed reparations for the poor loss in the previous Test. Make up your own mind on that one.

Australia wasted eleven balls and ten minutes of their day batting on at 9/377, all of which may or may not have worked in their favour. No further runs were added, but it kept the Bangladesh opening batsmen antsy as to when they would have to come out and face the music. Sometimes this kind of mental play works, and given what happened during the remainder of the first session you would have to say that it ended up working in Australia’s favour.

It was no surprise to see Cummins and Lyon opening the bowling, and once again it was Cummins who forced the issue with his pace and bounce on the dead Chittagong surface. This time however he was rewarded for his efforts, getting Sarkar to edge to Renshaw for the first wicket. Soon enough it was O’Keefe who came on to replace him, and he and Lyon were given the bulk of the bowling to do. O’Keefe was much better in this innings, with the bowling he had to do in the first innings obviously offsetting his long break from competitive cricket. He looked more menacing and played the perfect foil for Lyon at the other end who was now in his zone. Either side of the drinks break Bangladesh lost 4/11 off seven overs, crashing to 5/43 and real trouble. Lyon out-thought Tamim, Imrul and Shakib, erasing any thoughts they had of repeating their 1st Test heroics. O’Keefe took care of Nasir in the same way, and the air of the Test match had turned completely.

Now Australia had to overcome their constant problem with the middle order, and find a way to break through its resistance which they had shown they had trouble doing. Again Mushfiqur and Shabbir resisted, getting to lunch unbroken and pushing on afterwards. It was Pat Cummins who again made the vital breakthrough, after 86 runs had been added for the loss of Shabbir’s wicket. Cummins bowled the perfect ball in the corridor, taking the edge of the stubborn Mushfiqur’s bat and ensuring Bangladesh’s final batting hope was on his way. Another 19 overs of resistance came from the final three wickets before they were dislodged, but it was Cummins wicket that meant Australia would not be chasing a 150 run lead. Bangladesh’s dismissal for 157 would have been exceptionally disappointing for them, as a chase of anything over 150 would not only have been difficult, but brought the game closer to a rain interruption on the fifth day as well.

While Cummins 2/27 contain the two vital breakthroughs and also heralded the culmination of his wonderful return to Test cricket in 2017, it was Nathan Lyon who gained all of the plaudits, and with good cause. He bowled almost unchanged through the final innings, his 33 overs bringing forth the figures of 6/60, and match figures of 13/154, a remarkable achievement. What he had begun in India he had completed here, finally becoming the spin bowler Australia needed, who could not only hold up a team on the rampage, but bowl his team to victory in the second half of a Test match, especially when conditions were suited to him. Despite already having over 260 Test wickets, you would expect that it is 2017 that will prove to be the turning point for Lyon as a spin bowler. He now looks to know what is required to win Tests for his country, and while no one expects him to be Shane Warne in this regard, he now has the experience and the know-how to hopefully do it on a regular basis.

Not even Australia’s harshest critics would have believed they couldn’t get the 86 runs they required for victory, but it was important they didn’t make too many trips along the way. Warner went early pushing hard, while both Renshaw and Smith looked to impose themselves and get the game over as quickly as possible. Both fell to injudicious strokes which would have disappointed them, but it was their positive play that kept the runs ticking over. In the long run, it will have done both Handscomb and Maxwell good to have been together to knock off the required runs for victory. Again they were positive in their play which was better than nervous prodding towards a small target.

So the series is drawn 1-1, and while Australia will rue falling 20 runs short in Mirpir which cost them a series victory, that victory will be of more benefit to Bangladesh cricket than a victory to Australia would have been to them. It has opened up the possibility of Bangladesh now being able to compete on a larger scale in Test cricket around the world, and has also shown the talent that their squad has. For Australia, the experience gained against spin bowling in spin friendly conditions that they have faced both here and in India for players like Renshaw, Handscomb and Maxwell will be of enormous benefit in the years to come. Now, they need to return home and get some much needed practice on their home wickets in preparation for the festival of cricket that is the Ashes which begins in a few short weeks.

Test of Resolve to Find a Winner

The rains finally arrived on day 3, delaying the start of play until after lunch and only allowing 54 overs to be bowled for the entire day. It showed the Australians the dire position they are in having lost the 1st Test of the series and the problems they face in trying to force a result here in the 2nd Test in order to draw the series and save some face in the contest. Though their position at the conclusion of the day is better than how they started the day, it was probably not as good as they thought it may have been at one point of the afternoon.

One wonders just what may have happened had the run out of Handscomb not have happened. With Warner on strike and on 99, Handscomb was doing everything in power to get that single. When Warner was slow in saying no, having already taken a step down the wicket, Handscomb was stranded if the throw from Shakib was a direct hit. It was. Run out for 82 with a second Test century beckoning, Australia’s position at the end of the day would likely have been far more advanced than it ended up being.

Warner’s (eventual) century was a triumph, and the chance he had offered early the previous day proved costly for Bangladesh. His dismissal for 123 with the score at 298 now left the questions on Australia’s all-round resistance to be answered. How far could the likes of Maxwell, Cartwright, Wade and Agar take the lead before they perished? The answer was, not far. Cartwright looked comfortable enough for 18 before being undone. Wade managed to hold on for half an hour before being pinned again LBW, this time by the left arm quick Mustafizur. Agar again looked good before being bowled by Shakib. Maxwell curbed his aggression, batting for over two hours for his 38 before edging behind. It was an innings again where he showed he can handle the craft of Test batting, but needs to find a way to turn starts into bigger scores.

At the conclusion of the day, Australia was 9/377, a lead of 75. The fourth day will be an intriguing one if the rain can stay away. Bangladesh will be looking to establish a lead of 200 plus in order to put the pressure on the Australians in the fourth innings. The Australians will be looking to take quick multiple wickets, hoping to keep any lead to a manageable chase of 100-150. Chasing this and avoiding any possible washout will be an interest Test of resolve.

Australia's Big Guns Wrestle Their Way Back

The tide has turned towards Australia ever so slightly after the second day’s play in the 2nd Test in Chittagong, but in the back of everyone’s mind are two major points. Firstly, despite Australia’s excellent batting on Day 2, the chance of a collapse from the remaining all-rounders in the batting line up means that there is still no guarantee that they will be able to negotiate a lead on the first innings. Secondly, the weather forecast continues to look bleak, and Australia will need to act quickly if it is to extricate itself from a first series loss to Bangladesh.

Australia’s bowlers toiled hard in the early warmth, and though another 52 runs was added by the Bangladesh team with those final four wickets, at least it appeared that the wicket wasn’t playing too many tricks giving the batsmen some hope that they could make a stand. Pat Cummins was a warhorse, powering through 22 overs on an unresponsive wicket, and although he didn’t pick up a wicket he was threatening all the time. Steve O’Keefe toiled hard but was obviously under-prepared, with good reason. Agar looked the better of the two, and his two wickets were continued reward for his improving efforts. As it turned out, it was Dave Warner’s direct hit run out of Miraz that hastened the end.

The evolution of Nathan Lyon as Australia’s spinner could well reach its zenith on this tour. Australia has been waiting for Lyon to fulfil his role for years. Not as constant match winner and magician such that Shane Warne was, but to be the leader when the conditions suited the spinners, and to lead by taking wickets. He opened the bowling here on Day One, but wasn’t brought on until the eighth over of the morning on Day Two, and broke through Rahim with his second ball. When the dust had settled, Lyon had figures of 7/94 off 36.2 overs, the second best innings analysis of his career, and he had kept Australia in this Test. Again it was the pace at which he bowled at which impressed. It was much more varied than it has been in the past, and while critics such as myself would still insist that he is bowling too fast in general, the variation he showed here helped to bring forth those wickets. It was impressive stuff from the man who has been knighted as the country’s number one spin option.

That Australia from this point dominated the day’s play is perhaps not remarkable but surprising. It spoke as much about the surface as it did the application of Australia’s premier batsmen. Matt Renshaw was dreadfully unlucky, an inside edge to a glance that nine times out of ten flies wide enough of the keeper to go to the boundary on this occasion was taken magnificently by Mushfiqur to bring about his downfall. Renshaw so far in his short career doesn’t appear to have enjoyed much of the good side of luck. Perhaps his time will come soon.

After lunch though, Australia’s senior batsmen stood tall and played wonderfully. Warner carried on from Mirpir and soon had all of the commentators amazed at his slow scoring pace. The difference was not that he was scoring slowly, but that he was positive with each stroke he played, even if it was only a defensive push. There was no stabbing at the ball, there was no push forward with a hesitant bat. He waited for the discipline of the Bangladesh bowlers to falter and he then played the shot required. He had found his way to play against this bowling in these conditions, and now he was taking full advantage of it. By stumps he had reached 88 not out, and it was a landmark innings that was perhaps even better than his century last week. By contrast the skipper played as he always does, with a flourish. Despite his outlandish style he does make batting look easy when he is on song. He got to 50 with relative ease, so much so that it was a surprise to everyone when he missed a straight ball and was bowled. He would have been kicking himself, because it looked a forgone conclusion that he was going to make Bangladesh pay.

Peter Handscomb, in much the same boat as his fellow Adelaide debutante Renshaw, hasn’t had much luck in his career to date. He has looked comfortable all the way through India and here as well, but each start was followed by a disappointing dismissal. He showed his true grit today, refusing to budge and refusing to be taken down. He waited on the ball as is his habit and he flicked and punched into gaps with ease. As the temperature soared into the 40’s, his health began to crumble, but not his resolve. Through cramps and vomiting he remained, bringing back memories of Dean Jones in India in 1986. Today the Victorian youngster stood firm, and when he made it to stumps on 69 not out it would have been to the applause of his dressing room. His second sub-continent half century may yet become his first sub-continent century.

Australia stands at 2/225, still 80 runs behind the Bangladesh first innings, and with much work to do. Beyond the two men at the crease Australia has no specialist batsmen, only namesake all-rounders who are looking to push their case for the future of the Test careers. Day 3 would be as good a day as any to prove they are worthy of consideration in Australia is to gain a position of strength in their efforts to win the 2nd Test.

Bangladesh Escape Again to Control 2nd Test

Not for the first time in recent memory, the Australian cricket team got itself into a position of some superiority on the first day of the 2nd Test against Bangladesh, and then somehow managed to allow it to slip from its grasp once again. Perhaps the damage isn’t so bad that it cannot be retrieved, but with an excessive amount of rain expected to come in the back end of this Test match, being smack in the middle of the monsoon season, Bangladesh will feel a lot more safe in trying to wrap up their first ever Test series victory against Australia than the Australians will feel on attempting to level it.

The Australians had done most of the hard work in reducing Bangladesh to 5/117 in the 47th over, removing the dangers of Tamim (9) and Shakib (24) in the process. One more wicket and the tail would be exposed, and a total surely of no more than 170 looked in the offing. Nathan Lyon had been superb, picking up the first four wickets, all to LBWs. Once again though, the bowling attack found the second half of the day more taxing, and their ability to strike was compounded. The lion-hearted Pat Cummins was forced to do the pace work on his own and despite his endeavours he was unable to find a way through. The recalled Steve O’Keefe was steady, but after a six month layoff from cricket and the batsmen not taking any overt chances, he was nullified as well. It left the trio of Mushfiqur (62 not out), Sabbir (66) and Nasir (19 not out) to bat through the remainder of the day, and finish at 6/253, and holding the strength of the game in their hands.

So what is the pattern here for Australia? It all happened in the 1st Test, and again Bangladesh had been allowed to escape their clutches. Certainly, one wonders on the usefulness of the two all-rounders chosen in Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright. Together they bowled a total of nine overs, a tenth of the ninety bowled for the day. Given that Cartwright had been chosen as a medium pace option to support Pat Cummins, and Smith chose to open the bowling with Lyon anyway, it makes you wonder about the sense in choosing him above specialist batsmen Usman Khawaja, no matter what his form may be like. The jury will probably be out until Cartwright bats, but both he and Maxwell would need to score some runs in order to justify their continued presence in the Test team with little or no form behind them.

The second day of the Test will be all important. If Bangladesh can get away to a score of 350 then considering the rain that is forecast they could well be almost safe. If Australia can dismiss them for under 300 and their faltering batting line up can find a way to manufacture a total, then their cause of trying to level the series may not yet be gone.

Twitter Moments from the 1st Test

Aleem Dar. Still a cheat #BANvAUS

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) August 28, 2017

And proven correct In two balls

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) August 28, 2017

And again. Aleem Dar. Cheat #BANvsAUS

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) August 28, 2017

Aleem Dar. Yet again. Cheat #BANvAUS

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) August 29, 2017

Surprised Dar didn't call no ball from square leg # https://t.co/QUGnFOVuJz

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) August 29, 2017

Once again the fate of Australian cricket lies in the hands of Maxwell & Wade. Where's my cyanide capsule? #BANvAUS

— Bill Peters (@westkiama) August 30, 2017

The Lack of Surprise of Bangladesh Victory Tells the Real Story

In this day and age of Australian cricket, the loss to Bangladesh last night was less surprising than the selectors decision to choose discarded spinner Steve O’Keefe as the replacement for paceman Josh Hazlewood for the remainder of the tour. That Bangladesh has improved this much in the last three years, and that Australia is still unable to come to terms with the wickets and tactics of the sub-continent, is an undeniable fact such that the former’s first Test victory over the latter, while celebrated quite rightly by the Bangladesh team and their country, really raises barely a ripple of surprise.

Both sides knew that the key to victory or defeat lay with David Warner and Steve Smith. How much those two left the remainder of the batting line up to score was always going to be the breaking point. When both had been dismissed, it left Australia requiring 94 runs with six wickets in hand. It provided the kind of pressure situation from which we could judge the temperament and steel of Handscomb, Maxwell and Wade, the three Victorians who for varying reasons of form, ability and perceived toughness have been installed over the past nine months into this Australian team. Like Australia’s malaise on the sub-continent, each performed as they have in recent times. Handscomb looked comfortable, once again getting a start and appearing as though he could win the game on his own, before once again falling before the job had been done. Apart from his match saving innings in India, he has promised the world and produced dying sprouts. It is a learning curve for him, but he needs to convert those starts. Maxwell too looked to be calm in the storm as wickets fell around him. He went to lunch with Pat Cummins knowing it was up to them to score the remaining 66 runs to win the Test. His meek prod to be bowled in the first over after the break was once again an example of the brain fades that desecrate his batting. The lack of concentration that blocks him from being able to fulfil his ability.

In a match where it is unfair to lay the blame for defeat at one man’s feet, especially given Usman Khawaja’s terrifyingly awful match with the bat, the subject of Matthew Wade must be brought to bear once again. No one disparages the tough conditions that he has had to keep in. Indeed, in conditions such as these, you must have your best and most disciplined keeper in the team to combat that. Of course, the selectors don’t see it that way, as there are at least six or seven keepers back in Australia whose glove work is generally regarded as superior to Matthew Wade. In this match, Wade let through 30 byes. That’s a large number, even for Wade. Again, these are tough conditions and sometimes some will get through, but the best example was on the first day, when a straight delivery from Hazlewood burst through his gloves and raced away for four byes. It was awful, a terrible look with absolutely no excuse for it to happen. So consider that – 30 byes, Australia lost by 20 runs. But you see, Wade was chosen because the selectors mandated that the team needed more runs from its number seven. It is why the vastly superior gloveman in Peter Nevill was cruelly cast aside last summer. Didn’t miss a ball, but averaged in the mid-20’s with the bat. So the batsman Wade was brought in. How has he gone? Well, since Adelaide last summer, he has batted 15 times for 255 runs at an average of 21.25. Those figures suggest he is not providing more runs at number seven. In fact, it is less than Nevill averaged as a Test batsman. Wade scored 5 in the first innings when the team needed him to respond. Yesterday, he was once again pinned to his crease on the back foot, struck down LBW for the second time in the match, this time for 4. He was not the sole reason Australia lost this match. His performance however must surely once again question his place in this team beyond this tour.

Once again Pat Cummins fought to recover the situation. Nathan Lyon played as he often does in these scenarios, freeing his arms and looking to score rather than survive. These two and Hazlewood fought to the end, but eventually were dismissed with 21 runs still to score. After 25 in the first innings, Cummins finished 33 not out in the second, as well as bowling his heart out on a dead wicket for four wickets. Is it too obvious to suggest that some of our batsmen should be taking the time to watch how he bats again their bowlers, and employ it in their own game?

On the other side it would be wrong not to applaud the bowling of both Shakib and Miraz, and the fields employed by Rahim which not only plugged the scoring holes but forced the batsmen to find other ways to get runs. At times they would have been worried, but they never seemed to panic, and this is what eventually got them the victory. Shakib’s 5/85 gave him ten wickets for the match, and Miraz’s 2/80 and Taijul’s 3/60 the perfect support.

Bangladesh thoroughly deserved their victory, and can now look forward to trying to win their first series against a higher ranked opponent. And who would bet against them? Australia’s batting in these conditions is all at sea, and with no reserve batsmen on tour the only possible change in that batting line up would appear to be Cartwright coming in to either lengthen the batting line up or taking Khawaja’s place. Of course, perhaps Handscomb could keep and Cartwright could come in for Wade. No, that would be too obvious a call. What an oversight it was by the selectors not to have Travis Head in this squad. With only a few days in which to recover, the muted joy of England’s loss to the West Indies yesterday has now been replaced by the agonising possibility of an Australian series loss in Bangladesh, leading into a home annihilation in the Ashes. What a difference four days makes.

Lyon's Magic Gives Australia an Unlikely Chance for Victory

Cricket matches can turn on funny things. Sometimes it’s a boundary that gets stopped by a great piece of fielding, or someone not getting off strike when they should have. Or perhaps it could be a set batsman, one who looks like taking the game away from you, being run out at the non-strikers end as he backs up and fails to get back into his ground in time. Welcome to Mirni, where in a day of vital moments, Rahim’s run out in just this way off the fingers of Nathan Lyon changed the course of the Test match, and helped Australia somehow crawl off the canvas and back into the fight.

While, as an Australian, you always felt as though Australia had the capacity to come back against Bangladesh in this match simply because… well… it’s Bangladesh and we should be beating them, the figures did not look good. Worse was to come, with Josh Hazlewood breaking down with his seventh ball of the day, and leaving the field. He did not bowl again in the innings, and will be flown home immediately after the Test concludes. Not only was it a bitter pill for the team in trying to win this Test, it also bodes poorly for the upcoming home summer.

Nathan Lyon started the day the way he needed to, removing the nightwatchman and Kayes to leave the score at 3/67, but then came a lengthy and impressive partnership between Tamim and Rahim that looked like it was securing an unbeatable lead for the home team. They took the score to 3/135 and a lead of 178. Australia’s first piece of fortune arrived right in the nick of time. A rising brute of a delivery from Cummins brushed past Tamim, and Australia’s appeal was turned down by habitual nemesis Aleem Dar. On review it was seen to flick the glove on the way past and Tamim’s excellent innings of 78 was over – an excellent Test match for him. Eight runs later, first innings hard case Shakib was beautifully fooled by Lyon’s flighted ball, and skewed the ball to deep cover to be dismissed for 5, a real coup for Australia. But another steadying partnership of 42 had Bangladesh now at 5/186 and a lead of 229 when fate struck with Rahim’s run out. It was the straw that broke the innings from Bangladesh’s point of view. Seeing their captain walk back, dismissed but not of his own hand or of a bowler’s, set the tone, as both Nasir and Sabbir fell on the same total, to Agar and Lyon respectively. Apart from some slogging resistance, the Bangladesh team was rounded up for 221, and a lead of 264 overall.

Here is where Nathan Lyon gets his due. In the first innings I felt he was still bowling too quickly, and the batsmen played him much easier because of it. In the second innings he perhaps bowled as well as I have seen him. His average speed was below 90kph, and most of his wicket taking deliveries were in the mid-80’s. His flight, drop and bounce was wonderful, and he used the conditions of the pitch well, as well as varying his flight and speed. His final figures of 6/82 off 34.3 overs was a wonderful reward for excellent bowling. He took on the responsibility that fell to him, even moreso after Hazlewood’s injury, and he did it superbly. I have been a detractor of his at times in his career. Perhaps this will be where he really earns the plaudits that some have already given to him. The support too from both Cummins (1/38) and Agar (2/55) was enormous. Both also increased their value to the team here, and will no doubt have learned a lot from it as well.

Australia needed more from its top order in the second innings, but again was in trouble. Both Renshaw and Khawaja were out-thought, and at 2/28 and still 237 from victory it looked an unlikely task. But today was a new day, and the captain and vice-captain had other ideas. David Warner finally found a way to score, and perhaps more importantly was finally given a life early on, something he hasn’t received too often in Asia. He made them pay too, playing positive but not reckless cricket (where have I heard that before?...), and did the majority of the scoring in the evening session. By the time stumps had arrived, Australia had reached 2/109, and the game was afoot. Warner was 75 not out of those runs, while Smith played his own game at the other end, remaining not out on 25. From an impossible position in the middle of the day, Australia had found a way to requiring 156 on what will be the final day with eight wickets remaining.

And so tomorrow will be the final day of this match, and once again it will be anyone’s Test match. Bangladesh will feel confident of knocking over the young Australian middle and lower order – if they can penetrate the two who are at the crease now. For Australia’s part, they will no doubt look to get the deficit down as quickly as possible in order to keep any panic to a minimum. Once again, as on each of the first three days, it should be a fascinating day’s cricket.

The Web of Spin Traps Australia in Sub-Continental Mercy

There have been some messy days from Australia in Test cricket in recent years – let’s not start to mention them as they are far too painful to recall – but Day Two in Mirni would rank highly within any list that you could form. From the moment skipper Steve Smith charged down the wicket only to have his leg stump knocked over, Australia was on the back foot and was never really able to recover. On the other hand, Bangladesh took their chances, kept the pressure on the Australian batsmen, and then finished off the day with positive batting that sees them firmly on the front foot in this 1st Test.

Australia began at 3/18, and didn’t take Einstein to realise that they needed their captain to, once again, step up and lead his team out of trouble. His unfortunate dismissal in just the third over of the day, having seamlessly added 15 runs in that time, was the boost that the home team needed, and the one Australia feared. Now it was up to the young brigade to prove their worth and try and keep Australia in the match. In this respect, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell all showed good intentions. Despite the ball playing tricks from the spinners, each of the three handled themselves well. Renshaw never really looked as though he would break the shackles, but he kept plonking his front leg down the wicket and took care of any loose balls that came his way. Both Handscomb and Maxwell looked at ease in the cauldron, both working singles through the field and looking for the boundary to anything too short or too full. However, all three fell to mistakes. Renshaw finally edged behind to a straight ball for a well-made 45, Handscomb succumbed to a faster ball that pinned him to the stumps for 33, and Maxwell ran past a ball that spun well past his bat to be stumped by a large margin for 22. While each made the start, once again none could go on with it. At 20 years of age, Renshaw is learning a lot about playing spin bowling as an opening bat. He just needs to keep fighting. Handscomb’s technique of playing almost everything within a few centimetres off his stumps is indicative of a young man with a great eye and great reflexes, but he looks prone to being dismissed LBW a LOT with it. Maxwell again looked serene at the crease, but again fell to a shot that looks ugly and before he had contributed enough. If he can ever hold himself back from the, he could still be unstoppable as a number six.

Throughout this, Bangladesh’s two main spinners, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were magnificent. Shakib finished the innings with 5/68 off 26 overs, and makes him the first to take five wicket hauls against all current Test nations (which will change shortly once Ireland and Afghanistan begin their matches). Added to his 84 in the first innings he is again proving why he is considered to be the best all-round cricketer in world cricket. His partner showed that his efforts against England 12 months ago were no fluke, finishing with 3/62 from 26 overs. It confined the rest of the attacks to very short bursts throughout such was their dominance.

Matthew Wade’s further failures as both wicket-keeper yesterday and batsman today (dismissed for 5) continues to provoke enormous pain for Australian cricket supporters. Perhaps he will redeem himself in the second innings. However, at 8/144 Australia looked like giving up a century lead. Indeed, if it had been in India with that team it would certainly have been true. But Pat Cummins and Ashton Agar are made of sterner stuff, and the 73 runs that Australia’s final two wickets produced have at least kept them in this match. Whatever the reason was that Agar was selected for this tour in front of Steve O’Keefe for, he not only repaid the faith with his bowling yesterday but proved how valuable he is to the lower order. He scored two Sheffield Shield centuries last season, but neither was more valuable than his innings today of 41 not out. Along with Cummins, whose 25 runs continued to prove his qualities, the two faced 187 deliveries against the attack that had ripped the top order apart. It is the steel Australia needs in its lower order. In reducing the eventual deficit on the first innings to just 43 runs when it could have been greater than one hundred, it has kept their team in with a chance to save this match.

Some of those good feelings will have been wiped away by Bangladesh’s start, racing away to 1/45 at stumps, and a lead of 88. Sarkar’s dismissal in the second last over of the day was fortunate and critical – Agar topping off a great day for himself. Tamim has looked at ease, and willing to take on the Australian bowling. With Kayes, Rahim. Shakib and Shabbir to come, any lead over 250 will be a tough chase in the fourth innings, and a lead of 300 pretty much a winning one. Day Three will be the Test for the Bangladesh batsmen, to see if they can dominate an Australian attack in their home conditions, and be able to pressure them into submission.

For Australia, another average day with some positives has left them on the precipice. Not only must their bowlers keep the runs down and dismiss their opponents cheaply, then their batsmen must be able to fight in conditions they are not suited to in order to chase down whatever total is set. The remainder of this Test will show us a lot about their opponents, but also of how much this team believes in itself and its individuals abilities to combat their opponents and the conditions.

Points Shared on Day One as Bangladesh Buck the Trend

After the first half hour of play in the 1st Test in Mirpir, there was a feeling that Australia may be going to prove the pundit wrong after all, and run through the Bangladesh team in quick time and assert their authority over the less experienced opposition. And then a funny thing happened. Not only did Bangladesh fight back and get themselves to a position that looked very unlikely in that first session, but they then turned the screws in the final half hour, and brought this Test match back to level pegging, and anyone’s game by stumps on the first day.

No matter what the end result of this match, Bangladesh has already proven it will not roll over when the going gets tough. In the space of seven Pat Cummins deliveries, Bangladesh crashed from 0/10 to 3/10, a scenario that must have sent shudders through their dressing room. But three things happened that made this such a watchable day of Test cricket. Firstly, two Bangladesh’s ‘big three’, opener Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, knuckled down and with a bit of good fortune put together a terrific partnership of 155 to rescue the innings. Following both of their dismissals Bangladesh hovered at 5/188, still shy of anything near what they required. But the second thing Bangladesh managed here was that the final five wickets eked out 72 valuable runs, which got their total up to 260, and still left them with a nasty period in which to attack the Australian batsmen. Had they fallen over for 200, the task ahead for Australia would have been less daunting. Thirdly, through sheer pressure to see out the day’s play, the Bangladesh bowlers managed to pry out both Warner and Lyon, while in the middle of this Khawaja surrendered himself to the most ludicrous display of running between the wickets that could possibly be imagined. Losing 3/5, Australia ended the day in relative calm through Renshaw and Smith, and at 3/18 it had been an enthralling first day’s play.

For Australia, their bowling was mostly good. Pat Cummins bowled with fire early on, and though he only finished with those three early wickets in his 3/63 he deserved more. Josh Hazlewood was incredibly unfortunate, catches falling just wide of fielders, balls bouncing over the stumps, inside edges saving LBW’s and also into pads instead of stumps. His 0/39 from 15 overs tells nothing of his effort. Nathan Lyon was a metronome for his 3/79 off 30 overs, but once again the feeling was that he was just bowling a bit too fast, averaging 91kph for the day. Perhaps it is the advice he has been given, but honestly with the bounce he gets, just slowing it down a little and getting more flight on the ball would surely be a benefit. He still bowled well today, as did his new partner Ashton Agar, back after four years. He beat both Rahim and Nasir to have them plumb LBW, and beat number eleven the way a spinner should, beat the slog in flight so that it went straight down deep mid-off’s throat. Perfect. His return of 3/46 off almost 13 overs was the best sidekick figures one could hope for in support of Lyon. He should also score more runs than Steve O’Keefe would, which may well come in very handy. Also one of the best parts of Australia’s day was Glenn Maxwell’s five overs, which produced 1/15 and the excellent wicket of Tamim. He bowled at a good off-spinners pace, swerved and spun the ball, and looked dangerous. As the latest in a long line of potential “great all-rounders”, he proved good with the ball. If he can score runs at number six (and by that he must surely average 40 to fulfil that role) and bowl half a dozen overs when needed to give the front line bowlers a break, then he has the chance to nail down his Test position for the foreseeable future. But it’s the runs that count.

Dave Warner again fell to indecisiveness at the crease. Having been triggered LBW he reviewed and was reprieved by DRS. The very next ball he was triggered again, and this time walked away, where DRS would have saved him. Again. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, he needs to find his mojo. In Sri Lanka he was overly aggressive, and fell too often having made a start in the 30’s and 40’s. In India he tried to reign that in, and was too often meekly beaten anchored to the crease. The answer is somewhere in the middle of those two tactics, being positive without being reckless. He needs to find that soon if Australia is to succeed in these conditions.
What the hell was Khawaja thinking with his run out? At least Renshaw had the wherewithal to refuse to respond to his suicide call. Uzzy is in a funk and is in the same boat as Warner when it comes to finding a way to score on these wickets against these bowlers. He too has some tough thinking to do, or else the selectors boom will be lowered once again.

Day Two should provide not only interesting cricket, but tell a lot about the two sides competing in this match. One is looking for redemption in Asia, the other is looking to prove they are no longer the meek on the lower rung. I for one can’t wait.

Opportunities Abound in Bangladesh Test Series

In a few days, weather notwithstanding, Australia will take part in its first Test series against Bangladesh in over a decade, replacing the one that was boycotted by Australia two years ago over security concerns in the country. Despite this short delay, it is an arrogant oversight by Cricket Australia. Bangladesh became a full member of the ICC in June 2000, and in the 17 years that have passed since, only four Tests have been played between the two nations, a two Test tour in Australia in 2003 and a two Test tour in Bangladesh in 2006. This is the least amount of Tests played against Bangladesh of all Test playing nations. The question remains as to how the ICC and the member nations expect countries to improve their cricket if they are not exposed to Test cricket against the best nations. Perhaps labelling Australia as a ‘best’ nation may be pushing the boundaries. Let’s put it another way. Given the enormous trouble Australia has had over the past decade (if not longer) in playing in sub-continental conditions, wouldn’t touring and playing against Bangladesh have been a benefit in this area? Or are we just so scared that we might get beaten by the minnows that it is easier to just cry off and not play at all because ‘the schedule is too busy’ or ‘we need to play series that bring in money’. Whatever the excuse may be, it isn’t good enough.

Without Australia’s ‘help’, the Bangladesh cricket team has made great strides in recent times. Victories over England and Sri Lanka and a strong showing in New Zealand has meant that they are no easy beats, and indeed given Australia’s ordinary form on the sub-continent they would be confident of perhaps winning a Test or even the series. Led from the front by Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan the Bangladeshi’s have other prominent players in Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, Mustafizur Rahman and Anamul Haque to name but a few. In their home conditions they will be a handful, and if Australia are unprepared they could face some difficult times ahead.

There is little doubt Australia will not be in the best of positions. The long running saga over the Memorandum of Understanding with Cricket Australia, which cost the Australia A team a tour of South Africa and valuable practice for some of the fringe players, will likely not be used as an excuse for poor performance but it can only have been a burden on the players. It was not the best way to prepare for a tour. With a week in Darwin to prepare, and now their only warm up game in Bangladesh having been abandoned due to the poor state of the ground, it means none of the squad has had any meaningful red ball cricket since the Indian tour. It is something that is likely to be a problem, especially for those players that struggled throughout that period. Given that only 14 players are touring, it means two bowlers and an all-rounder will miss selection for each Test. It leaves the cupboard bare if looking for back-up should an injury occur, or in the search of form.

Australia’s batting will be fragile and open for intrusion. If not for Steve Smith’s imperious form in India – and in most places in the past four years – Australia would likely have suffered a much stronger defeat on that tour. He is the team’s best players of spin and will again be looked to lead from the front. The opening combination of Dave Warner and Matt Renshaw is still developing, and will need to give the side a good start in the short series. Warner has still not been able to unlock the secret to scoring runs on slow turning wickets, and every plan he has utilised has fallen short on results. While he probably needs to curb his aggression to a degree, it is positive cricket that serves him best, and perhaps he needs to research this further. That doesn’t mean slashing at the first ball outside off stump or slogging it across the line to the boundary, rather being positive at balls in his stump line and being willing to leave better outside the line of his stumps. Positive, not all out aggression. It’s easy to analyse and put down in words, but much more difficult to take that mindset onto the pitch. Renshaw played wonderfully well in India, only really failing in the deciding 4th Test. His batting showed the patience that he has become renown for in his short career, but on more than one occasion he was then dismissed playing aggressive shots after having been so disciplined for so long. In three Indian innings he was dismissed playing big shots having faced over 170 deliveries in the innings. Is it that he had reached his limit and he felt that he needed to try and break free, or was it just a break of concentration. Either way it is something he will be looking to address. If you make 60 off 180 balls and you are doing your job, then 100 off 275 balls is still a win. Whatever comes of this series, the selectors must stick with him. He has earned that.

Usman Khawaja, having been ignored in India despite great numbers in 2016/17 at home because of his failures in Sri Lanka and the belief that Shaun Marsh would be the saviour on sub-continental pitches, is an almost certainty to return to the pivotal number three position, and will once again be under the hammer. The Bangladesh spinners will be probing, hoping to keep him quiet and break through early, while there will be some deal of pressure on Khawaja himself to prove himself in these conditions. It is not an ideal position for the team’s number three to be in, and his history against spin isn’t great. But he will never have a better chance to show he can succeed in these conditions and nail down his spot for the long term. Peter Handscomb’s Indian tour is the best example of statistics that do lie. He made a start in all but one innings in that series, and it was only his inability to go on with it that makes it look only average. Apart from the captain he handled the spinners better than all other batsmen and he looked at ease. No doubt he will be very keen to expand on that form in this series. It would be a surprise if he did not.

The fragility of the top order is only exacerbated by that of the nominal numbers six and seven in the team. Glenn Maxwell scored a wonderful century in the 3rd Test in India that showed that (for the most part) he can bat with patience and calm. Unfortunately that was not followed up in his other three innings, and the question marks as to his suitability to the Test team are still to be answered. If he can nail down the number six position, and get his bowling back on track so that he can at least push out half a dozen over to give the front liners a rest, then he will be a valuable asset in the Test ranks. If he cannot get his run scoring boots on, then he will continue to be spoken in the same breath as Shane Watson when it comes to all-round disappointments. So too is the story with incumbent wicket-keeper Matthew Wade, whose continued selection seems to be a mystery to all except those close to the team. His batting was not convincing in India, and his glovework even less so. Having discarded Peter Nevill after the debacle of Hobart last year in the chase for more runs from the number seven, Wade has failed to produce more than Nevill was doing, and he has botched many more chances than Nevill ever did in that position. While it would be nice to see him score runs in this series, it will be more beneficial and pleasing if he doesn’t miss a chance behind the wickets.

With Mitchell Starc still injured and the selectors desperate to have him 100% fit for the Ashes, the fast bowling stocks will again fall to Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, with Jackson Bird in back up if required. Hazlewood has been the leader in recent times, and Cummins’ return to Test cricket for the final two Tests in India was superb. There will be no hiding from those two, and Bird if he gets a chance won’t let the team down.

The spinners will be an interesting variety. It is disappointing that Steve O’Keefe has been left out in such ordinary circumstances. After his fabulous effort in the 1st Test in India, the Indian batsmen treated him with far more respect than they had in that Test, and as a result he was tidy but unable to break through as often. He then returned home, and again transgressed at an official function while obviously inebriated, and said the wrong thing in the wrong company. Quite a few times apparently. He was handed a suspension by the NSWCA. Yet when the touring squad was initially announce for this tour, the selectors suggested that O’Keefe had not been selected because of his performance and figures in the last three Tests of the Indian tour. No mention of his transgressions, but that he had been dropped for poor performance. Uuuhhhh, what?!? There is a serious problem when you bring that to light, because it allows you to compare the figures of players and then ask “why have you dropped one guy but not the other?”

The case in point.

• After the 1st Test, in which O’Keefe took 6/35 and 6/35, he bowled in five innings taking 7 wickets at 53.14. Less effective. Nathan Lyon took 8/50 in the first innings of the 2nd Test (but 0/82 in the second innings as India pushed for victory). He also took 5/92 in the first innings of the 4th Test. If you take those two efforts out, as has been done with O’Keefe’s best two innings, Lyon took 6 wickets at 56.33. O’Keefe leads on those figures.
• For the series, both O’Keefe and Lyon finished with 19 wickets, leading the Australian charge. O’Keefe averaged 23.26 (1st) and Lyon averaged 25.26 (2nd). O’Keefe leads on those figures.
• O’Keefe (179.1) bowled more overs than Lyon (166.2) in the series.
• O’Keefe (36) bowled almost twice as many maidens as Lyon (19) in the series.
• And although neither contributed much to the batting, O’Keefe (168) faced almost three times as many deliveries in seven innings as Lyon (68) did in eight innings.

If the selectors had just come out honestly, and said that O’Keefe had been dropped as a disciplinary measure, then we all could have accepted that explanation and moved on, knowing that he would have to work extremely hard to ever get another chance again. In suggesting that it was a form issue with no other reasons behind his exclusion, all the selectors have done is open themselves up to ridicule and comparisons such as the above.

With Lyon still the number one seed in Australia’s spinning ranks, the other two contenders chosen for the tour will be fighting for the second spinners berth. Mitchell Swepson is the unknown, the X factor, the leg-spinner with all of the tricks of the trade, but with such little first class experience it would be a risk to take him in. As much as having a leg-spinner back in the Australian Test team would be a wonderful thing, one suspects that Ashton Agar will fulfil the prophecy of return to the Test team as a bowling all-rounder. While his bowling figures in first class cricket are still on the part-time scale, his past 12 months have been profitable with both bat and ball, and as a second spin option with potential to score runs down the order he could be the valuable asset the team needs, at least on this tour.

If the monsoon season can hold off for just another couple of weeks, this series has the potential to be an interesting and well-fought battle. The likelihood of rain does dampen (no pun intended) the possibility of a result, but the cricket has much to offer. Bangladesh has the opportunity to test themselves against an Australian team that is still finding its way back to the top, while the Australians chosen have the chance to ensure that they not only do well here, but have their names front and centre for the upcoming Ashes series back home. As a cricket tragic I don’t expect to see another Jason Gillespie double century moment, but I am looking forward to watching the series unfold.

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque.