08/23/26 01:25:00
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08/23 01:18 CDT Starc's 10 wickets leads Australia to series-leveling victory
in 2nd test against Bangladesh
Starc's 10 wickets leads Australia to series-leveling victory in 2nd test
against Bangladesh
MACKAY, Australia (AP) --- Mitchell Starc's 10-wicket match haul lifted
Australia to a morale boosting victory by an innings and 51 run in the second
cricket test as it leveled the two-match series against Bangladesh inside two
days.
Starc returned match figures of 10-51, after taking four wickets Sunday to go
with his incredible 6-12 on a wild Day 1 which saw Bangladesh bundled out for
64 before the hosts also had its struggles on a spicy pitch at Mackay, in
northern Queensland state.
It was the evergreen left-arm swing bowler's fourth ten-wicket haul in tests
and also saw him move past South Africa pace great Dale Steyn into 10th on the
all-time list with 445 wickets, with Starc having no thoughts of finishing up
yet.
(The body's) still hanging together, I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this
group," said Starc, named player-of-the-series for his 12 wickets across the
two matches. "Test cricket, I've said it before, it will always be the pinnacle
for me. I'd like to milk my body for all I can for test cricket, and that's how
it'll remain."
Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon (3-25) each took three wickets to support Starc as
Bangladesh could only manage 95 in its second innings to hand Australia a
comprehensive win after its shock loss in last week's first test at Darwin.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top scored for the visitors with 31, while
Mushfiqur Rahim had an unbeaten 29, but the pair had very little help from the
remaining tourist batters with only two scoring above double digits.
I think this is a different condition (to the first test in Darwin) and there's
a little bit more extra bounce and swing in the air," Shanto said. "So it's
challenging for us, but as a team if we want to go forward we need to adjust
and I hope this experience will help going forward."
Aussie's extend lead
Earlier Sunday, Australia resumed at 165-8 with Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon
adding another 28 useful runs Sunday for the ninth wicket.
After also taking six wickets on Day 1, Shoriful Islam soon picked up his
seventh with a searing inswinging yorker which struck Green on the front foot
and was given out leg before wicket on review.
Shoriful's 7-48 was the best bowling figures for a Bangladesh player away from
home.
Green's 67 off 105 balls with 10 boundaries was the top score of the match so
far and follows his breakthrough home century in the first test at Darwin to
lock down his place in Australia's middle order.
"We've got 20 tests coming up this year, so yeah, you want to get off to a good
start, and I felt like I have done that, Green said. "So now it's just building
on that and finding something that works and just continue with it.
Lyon (32 not out) and Josh Hazlewood then pushed Australia's score past 200
before Hazelwood (6) skied a catch off Taijul Islam (1-17) to end the innings
at 210, and a significant first innings lead of 146 runs on a bowlers' wicket.
Starc's perfect 10
Fresh from taking 6-12 in the first innings, Starc again tormented Bangladesh's
top order in the second innings taking another two wickets in consecutive balls
to have the visitors' reeling early in its chase.
After surviving Starc's first over of the second innings, Bangladesh were not
as fortunate in the Aussie's next over as Shadman Islam (1) edged a catch to
Marnus Labuschagne, before Mominul Haque (0) shouldered arms and had his off
stump rattled with Starc's next delivery.
Starc (4-39) returned after lunch to remove the luckless Litton Das for another
duck. The wicketkeeper batter faced 27 balls across three innings in the series
for no runs.
Cummins (3-10) made a double breakthrough after lunch with Mehidy Hasan Miraz
edging behind to Alex Carey, before Hasan Mahmud popped up a catch to short
leg, to go with removing Tanzid Hasan (9) caught on the boundary earlier in the
day.
Starc got his fourth ten-wicket haul in his 107th test with a characteristic
delivery that went through the gate of bat and pad and bowled Taijul Islam for
seven just before tea.
Starc missed the opportunity to improve his best bowling figures (11-94 vs. Sri
Lanka at Galle in 2016) as Lyon cleaned up the tail taking the final two
wickets --- Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam --- in the first over after tea to
seal victory.
The two-test "Top End" series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the
Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to South Africa,
India and England.
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