Australia in Bangladesh 2017

The tour was originally to happen 3 years ago is finally here as Australia and Bangladesh the 2 test series tomorrow.
Bangladesh have been steadily improving in test cricket and can give any opposition a tough fight at home. They had a couple of notable wins last season, against England at home, and against Sri Lanka in their own backyard. Even a much weaker Bangladesh had given a much stronger Australia a serious challenge when the Australians came calling way back in 2006. With Bangladesh having become a much better side and Australia not at their best, this would hopefully be an interesting enough series.
Australia very much go in as favorits, but Bangladesh hopefully won't be pushed over.

Given the Australian difficulties against spin in Asia I am not sure they are big favourites...

You'd think they probably ought to handle Bangladesh - they appear to have the bowlers to do a job - but unless Smith has a big series it may not be plain sailing at all.

Really looking forward to this series - I think it'll be much similar to the England one last winter, a tight close fought series with a few exceptional innings winning the game for a side

Aus countered India better than Eng did in the 4 test series....as the 2-1 scoreline as well as their performances suggest to those who watched both series.
( although Eng faced a fresh India while Aus faced when  India's spinners were jaded and many a batsmen walking wounded)

I do think Aus are favorites..because they will be playing BD shortly after their Indian experience....in fact this is their very next test series.
While Eng used those two tests in BD upfront as a practice for the more difficult India tour

One thing is undoubted thought....BD will try to make pitches similar to the Eng series and it will be a competitive series

Australia had better spinners than England. Perhaps questionable whether they still have with O'Keefe out of favor and Agar yet unproven...

Australian spinners outboled India's ones in the series on a big turner. Else, it was Smith who fought with the bat, and the quicks who stepped up with the ball, though Lyon too had an innings of note.
Bangladesh spinners are clearly better in this series. Shakib is better than anyone Australia have got, and think Mehedi too is better. But despite the recent improvement, the Bangladesh batting lineup is relatively weaker. In the top 3, only Tamim is proven test class. Will Mushfiqur bat 4 and leave the gloves? Think he should do so.
Tamim, Sarkar, Imrul, Mushfiq, Shakib, Liton Das (WK), Nasir, Mehedi, Taijul, Rubel, Mustafizur.
Might go in with Mominul instead of Das with Mushfiqur taking the gloves though.

I don't think pitch will be as ideally prepared for Bangladesh due to the rain, which brings me to the point of the post

Some good odds for a draw, anyone know more about the weather?

As for the teams, Australia are favourites, but it'll be a good contest I reckon, if we can get cricket to be played

KO-King - how is Sabbir in this side ahead of Moninul Haque?

Dramatic start for Cummins ! But Tamim and Shakib have fought back well with some aggressive batting to leave it all balanced at lunch...

No TV coverage over here seemingly...shame

Those who are watching how's the pitch? Spinning?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:No TV coverage over here seemingly...shame

Those who are watching how's the pitch? Spinning?

Lost my TV cover to family priorities But it was looking interesting for the spinners earlier on. One ball from Lyon kicked up nearly over the keepers head ...fancy batting will be tricky as the game goes on...

Aussie spinners take 7 wickets as BD is bundled for 260 on D1 that should be best for batting
Opportunity missed by BD is my first reaction....to post 400 in first inning and put the game beyond Aus

Bangladesh already have the Aussies 18-3 at the end of D1 - if they get Smith early tomorrow they'll be in great position

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Bangladesh already have the Aussies 18-3 at the end of D1 - if they get Smith early tomorrow they'll be in great position

If they get Smith quickly I reckon they'll be hot favourites to win...

Big IF though.

@olly

I don't know how sabbir is over mominul, Sabbirs technique looks suspect for odi cricket, nevermind tests

Maybe mominul is in poor form, out of favour, who knows

I watched a day or two from Sri Lanka match, I think mominul didn't play that either

Whoops. Wrong thread. Sorry.

18-3 triggered by a suicidal r.o of Khwaja including a nightwatchman's wicket

given so many sides bat so deep these days.....the match situation in my view is judged by how much batting resources are in hand
Aus has Renshaw ( proved himself good against spin in India); Smith, Handscomb, Maxwell, Wade , Agar and even Cummins at 10 is worth 15 runs...and that means a lot of in hand resources using all of whihc they've gotta scrap hard tomm

Well, on a pitch like this in particular, can't judge before both sides have had a bat, but I am inclined to agree with KPF, an opportunity missed for Bangladesh. Particularly considering both Tamim and Shakib really rested the initiative back for their team. Also important to note that neither of them converted their innings to a hundred, and Mehedi, Nasir and a couple of others had got a bit of a start, if anyone posted at least a 50, Bangladesh would have had 300 on the board, and that seems like a very good score on this track.
The most important thing for Australia, is that 3 of their best bets against spin, Smith, Renshaw and Handscomb are still there. If one of them get a big one, or a couple of them decent scores and Madman Maxwell or someone ele can bash a few, they would be at par or beyond Bangladesh. Even a 50 run advantage is going to be very significant here.
But if Bangladesh get Smith early and then manage to add at least one of Renshaw or Handscomb in the first session tomorrow, they will have the upperhand.

I've read that Nathan Lyon's 3 wicket haul took him to 250 and ahead of Richie Benaud. Not a like for like comparison admittedly but still a very considerable achievement.

Lyons a good steady bowler, I'd like to see how young Mehedi compares, he's got something about him, he just gives off that attitude of a winner

Smith went early but Renshaw and Handscomb have recovered with a 50 partnership to get the aussies to 99-4

Taijul is being expensive - looks to me like that Bangladesh side has one too many bowlers?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Smith went early but Renshaw and Handscomb have recovered with a 50 partnership to get the aussies to 99-4

Taijul is being expensive - looks to me like that Bangladesh side has one too many bowlers?

But both fall in quick succession to leave Australia on 119-6, still trailing by 140 runs. Bangladesh have a real chance to get a first innings lead of significance here

So Bangladesh got Smith, Handscomb and Renshaw, all 3 of their better players of spin in that session. Maxwell is not a good player of spin, but he won't hang around while he lasts, and can quickly take them closer to the Bangladesh total. Wade seems to have a bit of a reputation of being a decent player of spin in Australia though he didn't quite show that in India. But he did get some starts in that series, and if can put together a partnership of sorts, again that will take Australia at least to level terms in the first innings. Cummins can bat and is better than a number 10 where he would be batting in this game. Australia would need all of them to fire.
As for Bangladesh, they should stay disciplined to Maxwell. Even if he gets away a couple of big hits, they should stay the course, keep attacking fields and bowl with discipline and don't give him easy scoring opportunities. This is a good track for bowlers, the batsmen will have to earn their runs. But the bowlers need to be focused and should not get carried away. The spinners have done the damage for Bangladesh, but I thought it was a decent spell from The Fiz right before lunch....

Aus are 167-8 and have been falling regularly....they will fall short of BD's 260 and the best they can do is minimize the gap.
even a lead of 50 would be very handy on this pitch.

and even if they do well to get the deficit down to 50 and bowl out BD for 100 runs( a super perofrmance that will be) in 2nd inning....a chase of 150 is also odds against Aus

very tough situation for them when even super performance from here won't be enough

Watching it on YouTube, disappointed the pitch isn't the same as England matches, maybe the rain pervented them creating one

If they keep Aus under 200,you'd have to back bd

Cummins and Agar putting up very spirited tail end resistance...costly dropped catch !
Lead might not be that big after all. Still advantage Bangladesh since the Aussies bat last ; but this partnership has meant Australia are still in the game.

Pitch doesn't look to be turning that much, definitely not like the ones we faced, reckon both teams have been poor with the bat

Per the best possible script for Aus ...they got the lead down to 43
Now they need to bundle BD for 110 or less...so they chase no more than 150

Shakib Al Hasan has now registered a five for against all nine Test nations he has played against. Top effort.

Bangladesh just need to get that lead past 200 and it's game over.

Good company with Steyn, Murali, Herath

Per cricinfo

4 - Bowlers to have taken five-wicket hauls against nine different Test teams. Shakib Al Hasan has joined Rangana Herath, Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralitharan in this elite club. Shakib is easily the quickest to this feat having got there in his 50th Test. Muralitharan is the second-quickest, completing the set in his 66th Test.

Good end of day position for Bangladesh. They'd be somewhat disappointed that Agar and his mates turned a rock crushing lead into a mere forty or so : but getting past the new ball and to stumps just one own sees them well placed to put this out of reach tomorrow.
Aussies won't lie down ; but batting last is looking like a really tough assignment .

The pitch hasn't been turning that much. If batsmen apply themselves, they can very much score on this track. Bangladesh did well to see the new ball off, but then Soumya Sarkar played a poor shot to hold out in the deep. Yes he's an aggressive batsman, but Mominul Haque, a real top performer particularly at home is sitting out, so is the unfit young talent Mosaddek Hossain who should be back for the next game. Sarkar can't afford such lapses, they suggest a lack of match awareness that the new and improved Bangladesh shouldn't accept.
Bangladesh lead by 88. They should bat with application tomorrow. If they manage to bat 2 sessions, and take that lead to around 230-250, it would be a very challenging ask for Austrlia batting last.Not sure 150 would be anywhere near enough. It really isn't that kind of track. Yes there is life in this track, and along with the decent turn on offer, there is unpredictable bounce at times. But by no means is it a minefield, nowhere close to that. Bangladesh would do a real terrible job to collapse to around 110 or even 150, and if Australia manage something of that kind, it would be their game to lose thereafter.

Great start to his 50th test for Shakib Al Hasan, world's best all-rounder currently. A top-scoring knock of 84 coming in at 10-3, then a 5for on the next day. A 50 and a 5for in the game, he has done it for the 8th time in his career, that makes him 2nd in that particular list, behind Ian Botham with 11.

Australia axed O'Keefe because he won't be selected for the next tour of India. Then what on earth Warner doing playing in the current series? Warner is absolutely pathetic against spin.

Aus spinners pick 8 wicktes in 2nd inning and yet their target is stiff 265

it's 50-50 as it stands now.....the longer warner plays....that probablity improves in favour of Aus

Aus 109-2 at the close of day 3, with Warner and Smith in, needing a further 155.

Probably odds on Aus at the moment, but if Bangladesh can knock these too over with still over 100 to chase I can see it getting tight.

I'd say it's 50/50 personally. The morning session will decide the game.

Remember England were 100/0 chasing 273 in Bangladesh and still lost by over 100 runs. Wickets tend to fall in clusters and with Australia's remaining batting, that could easily happen again!

Warner's innings here is reminiscent of when Sehwag hammered 80 odd off 70 odd balls in Madras against England in the Test match after the Bombay terrorist attacks. Warner's style clearly demoralised the Bangladeshi bowlers. The longer Warner keeps smashing it the likelihood of an improbable Australian win increases massively

Went out just after Khawaja committed suicide ...did not expect to come back and see Smith/Warner thriving like this !
Obviously Warner has kept playing his shots (had that break when missed at slip early on) and meant the score has moved rapidly : are Bangladesh a bit rattled ? You'd think with the batting to come Australia are in a reasonable position to defy the odds and chase this down now...but of course they have to start again tomorrow ; couple of wickets could change the mood completely.

Looks like an interesting finish either way.

All hinges on Warner. He'll need to carry his bat through the majority of the innings for Australia to win.

Duty281 wrote:All hinges on Warner. He'll need to carry his bat through the majority of the innings for Australia to win.

Not really. There are a few players capable of scoring if they get a start : Hanscomb is solid , Maxwell can get away with it for a while sometimes ; most of the "tail" can bat , as we saw in the first innings. If Warner and Smith can add another forty even I think Australia have a good chance.

Of course it is quite possible they will completely fold up once a couple of wickets fall and the spinners get on a roll ; but I think at the moment either result is eminently possible.

England pitch was worse, this is a decent pitch, Australia chase those down I reckon, I thought par score would be 240-260, so bd set about that

I think AUS will chase this down.....and if they do so....BD will have to blame themselves for not getting 400 in first inning and 300 in the second...both they looked like achieving

and Aus fought back with their lower order in first inning to come quite close to BD after looking far behind at one stage

Aus lose 3 wickets in 30 runs...superb 100 from warner.....he had scored 70% of teams runs when he fell
match poised interestingly 77 needed and 5 wkts in hand

In the end Warner didn't bat far enough in the chase. The rest of the batting order crumbling on a typical sub-continent pitch.

66 runs with 3 wickets left. Difficult to see Australia getting this.

Only need 42 now...Cummins and Lyon still battling it out...with just the injured Hazlewood to come.

Odds with Bangladesh : but not over yet ...

29 runs added for the 9th wicket in an unbroken stand and Cummins doing a stellar job with the bat like in the first inning

37 needed and an injured Josh Hazlewood still to come in

Lyon gone to Mehedi !

Well caught off the glove ...and with 37 still required Pat Cummins need to work a miracle...

9 down
last wicket needs a partnership of 37 runs
it will be a minor miracle