Bang Test tour of Oz, Aug 13-26

[bigfluffylemon]

Carey out early on day 4. Australia still 40 runs behind with 5 wickets still in hand.

Australia's tail can bat, we know that, but you'd think a target of 150 would be the bare minimum they need for a chance of Bangladesh choking.

Never write Australia off at home though...

[bigfluffylemon]

Just 57 for Bangladesh to score a famous win.

[GarlicJam]

Just 57 for Bangladesh to score a famous win.

and they look to be getting them fairly easily

Today will be a big day in Bangladesh.

[GarlicJam]

I've just looked - the 2nd test is in Mackay (rhymes with sky), starting next Saturday. I have no idea what conditions are like in Mackay, but Bangladesh must really fancy themselves here.

The pressure will be on everyone connected to the Aus team.

[alfie]

Bit of a shock that one , eh ?

Bangladesh on top from start to finish. Did Australia expect to just turn up and collect ? Had a huge wake up call here and a couple of players will be likely facing the axe - though Green has presumably saved his spot with that second innings hundred.

That well spruced up Darwin ground looks way nicer than the ones I used to play on there back in the seventies

[Arthur Crabtree]

Well done BD. Even more impressive and momentous than their ODI win v Australia in '05 in Cardiff.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I reckon Mackay is the fourth Test ground in Queensland. And the smallest town or city to have staged a Test in Australia.

[GarlicJam]

I reckon Mackay is the fourth Test ground in Queensland. And the smallest town or city to have staged a Test in Australia.

I assume the other two are Townsville and Cairns?

There have been at least two different venues in Brisbane though, I think they played a test or two at "the Ekka" (named to rhyme with The Gabba).

[Arthur Crabtree]

I reckon Mackay is the fourth Test ground in Queensland. And the smallest town or city to have staged a Test in Australia.

I assume the other two are Townsville and Cairns?

There have been at least two different venues in Brisbane though, I think they played a test or two at "the Ekka" (named to rhyme with The Gabba).

I meant to say the fifth! The first was the Exhibition Ground in Brisbane, I think...

Yes, staged two Tests.

[bigfluffylemon]

Congrats BD. Not just a win but a thumping - 9 wickets. Outplayed Australia at home. Doesn't happen often by any team.

[mikesiva]

Australia 284 all out

Green 104
Smith 44

Miraz 5-66
Mahmud 3-56

Bangladesh 57-1

Mominul 30*

Bangladesh won by nine wickets.

[Durhamfootman]

great result for Bangla, but it seems an odd time of year to be playing test cricket in Aus. Darwin being so far north, I suppose. Not sure I've heard of test cricket being played there before.

I agree with whoever said that this result shows how absolutely rubbish England were in the ashes in every single regard from planning, training and preparing to coaching, selection and execution. At least in the other muggings that England got down under, they were mullered by teams ranging from very good to world class. In the last they were mullered by a bog standard, ageing, creaking, half injured team that would go on to be thumped by Bangladesh when back to full strength

[sussexpob]

Not sure I've heard of test cricket being played there before

Cricket Australia came up with the idea of hosting home tours in the Northern dry season back in the Waugh years, but the plan was shelved almost instantly because the games attracted almost no interest (GJ said above its the footie season, so maybe it was that). I think they had two tours in consecutive years played in Cairns and Darwin, it didn't help that one was vs an absolutely haplessly poor Bangladesh, and the other vs Sri Lanka without Murali, who refused to tour in protest at the treatment he had received from Aussie crowds and umpires in the late 90s tour. I have a vague memory that the pitch in Darwin was also way below the level expected for test cricket, and both team's couldn't get bat on ball on it.

Shouldn't be surprising, as the NT's is one of the biggest domestic subdivisions in the world but has a minute population. It would be like Norway hosting San Marino in Svalbard and wondering why no one turned up.

[bigfluffylemon]

Then the second test in Mackay, which is also a 'where?' ground for anyone who doesn't know Queensland - it's the 7th largest 'city' in Queensland, population 70,000, and 350 or so km away from any other even moderate population centre. Its only qualification for hosting a test match appears to be that it's in the tropics dry season, so it's cricket weather there when it's winter elsewhere in Australia - but Cairns or even Townsville would surely make more sense. Cairns at least is on the tourist trail.

Apparently they got 20,000 spectators across 4 days in Darwin - but the commentators were lauding that as a 'great success' and praising the atmosphere. Watching on TV on Sunday, I was asking myself whether we were watching the same game - the aerial shots showed empty stands. There was a small but enthusiastic crowd of Bangladesh supporters, fair play to them, but they were a few hundred at best.

I agree that it shows just how *modded* England were. Bangladesh turned up and batted sensibly to the conditions and scored over 400. England couldn't manage that once, using their 'run towards the danger' boll0cks. Coincidence? I think not. Australia were ripe for the taking. We didn't have the nous to do it.

[andy]

Weatherald dropping with renshaw recalled...surprised marnus hadn't got the chop as well to be fair