Australia vs Bangladesh

The two-match series between Australia and Bangladesh is taking place after a prolonged gap of over a decade which in itself is an important series to watch out for, as the hosts have come a long way to leave a significant impact in the Test format after levelling the series one each against Sri Lanka and England since October 2016.

With the first Test starting from August 27 in Dhaka, Steven Smith-led side is aware about the Bangladesh as a team while the visitors would be relying solely on their strength.

The visitors would find the competition tough this time around, as the quality improvement has further made hosts threatening for the opposition, in the five-day competition of late.

Surfaces in the subcontinent have further witnessed the slow bowlers licking their fingers owing to the turn and vicious bounce which has further piled-up the miseries for the quality batsmen.

However, showing the lot of courage as a side, Bangladesh has marched onto the ladder particularly in the shorter format, but the players are aiming high – to excel in the red-ball cricket while relying on their senior campaigners against a quality side like Australia.

Bangladesh Strength, Weakness and Team News:

Following the mind games have been a point of debate as some of the players from the Tigers are confident that the side could stun Australia after claiming a 2-0 victory which has further took the visitors skipper Steven Smith by surprise.

Earlier, Bangladesh recalled premium all-rounder Nasir Hossain for the inaugural Test of the series, as Mominul Haque has been overlooked.

The BCB has provided the all the requirements for the team and has further aimed to work more on the bench strength in the national fold.

On the other side, Mahmudullah Riyad has also been dropped as the hosts would be relying on the senior campaigners against quality bowling line-up.

Moreover, Tamim Iqbal and ranked No. 1 Test all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan would be eyeing to make their milestone special both with the bat and a ball as well, while playing 50^th Test match of their career respectively.

Owing to the success, Bangladesh would be relying on the spin department to challenge Australia

Banking on experience as the strength:

As the hosts are capable of stunning the visitors, Mushfiqur Rahim-led side would be hinging on rookie fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman with the ball.

Rahman, who is known as ‘Fizz’ has been at the forefront to take Bangladesh – to a new high after featuring in 54 Tests for the Tigers. The left-arm bowler will be partnered by Shafiul Islam and Taijul Islam.

Tamim Iqbal at the top could prove handy following the experience of over nine years at the elite-level cricket.

Moreover, the middle-order line-up has Sabbir Rahman, who was touted as a next big thing in Bangladesh cricket, as Imrul Kayes is expected to score heavily at the top to provide the cushion for the other batsman.

The spinners are expected to earn the lion’s share, as the combination would be formed by Mehedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan as the frontline spinners for the hosts to Test the decent batting line-up of Australia.

Weakness lies in inexperience:

While having the youngsters in the fast bowling line-up, they could further serve as a major headache for the hosts’ skipper, as the visitors have shown the capability with the bat including Smith, who is a strong force to reckon for the Kangaroos.

(Read Also: BAN vs AUS 2017, 1st Test: Australia Announces Playing XI; Two Surprise Inclusions)

Australia’s Strength and Weakness:

Australia would be relying on the promising prospects at the top which includes technically sound Peter Hansdcomb as David Warner at the top is experienced campaigner on the side.

For the first Test, Australia picked left-handed batsman Usman Khawaja after seven-long months, as all-rounder Ashton Agar returned to the fold after four long years.

Shaun Marsh has been dropped and Smith would be eyeing to bat early, in a bid to bring stability to the side particularly in the batting point of view.

Earlier, Agar was preferred over slow bowler Steve O’Keefe, who proved his mettle against India in the Test series owing to the 12-wicket haul in Pune Test.

The visitors would be eyeing to improve their average in the Asian condition, but won’t show any complacency against a side which has become known for posing a challenge.

Strength is fast bowling:

The visitors’ strength lies in their fast bowling which further would be led by Josh Hazlewood alongside Pat Cummins to give some time to hosts’ batsman in their own backyard where fast bowlers are supposed to put an extra effort in order to swing the pendulum and eventually change the complexion of the game.

Weakness is to tackle the spin attack:

Australian inexperienced campaigners would face the stern test including young opener Mat Renshaw, as all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who is capable of changing the complexion of the game would be under pressure to prove the mettle, in a bid to remain in the contention for the Test format.

However, the onus would be on Smith and Warner to stitch the innings including Matthew Wade, who has been inconsistent with the bat, as Australia has been struggling in the Asian conditions particularly in the Test format.

(Read Further: BAN vs AUS 2017, 1st Test: 2-0 Remark from Bangladesh Camp Surprises Steven Smith)

The Previous Result against Australia:

In 2006 series Bangladesh was lead by Habibul Bashar when Australia clinched the first Test following a hard-fought battle at Fatullah between April 19 and 13, as Ricky Ponting-led Australia won the game by three wickets following the all-round performance from the visitors.

In the second Test match, hapless Bangladesh went down without fighting as they lost the game by an innings and 80 runs eventually registered the 2-0 series win after Chittagong Test.

The Pitch Report:

It would be interesting to see how the Sher-e-Bangla pitch would behave, as it has remained under cover for quite a time owing to the rainfall in the Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.

Interestingly, there hasn’t been enough time for the Sun – to allow the 22-yard surface get dry which would have somehow made the slow bowlers work harder for the wickets akin the paceman.

However, traditionally the slow bowlers have tasted the success in such conditions and off-spinner Mehedi Hasan was the star at home last season.

Moreover, the fast bowlers could deliver the desired results for both the sides in nutshell.

Where teams stand on the Test ranking chart:

Bangladesh is currently placed at ninth spot on the Test rankings, as Australia is positioned at fourth and both teams would be giving their best to improve their rating points.

The miseries for visitors:

The two-day warm-up fixture was called-off after incessant monsoon rains affected the portion of the ground in Fatullah, as the stagnant water owing to the below-par drainage stadium further forced the Smith’s team to practice at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, as most of the training sessions were cancelled due to the inclement weather.

The fact of the series:

The current Australia players will play their first Test post 2006, as the two-match series was called-off due to the security concern in 2005, following the riots in Bangladesh.

(Read the news: Flashback: When Bangladesh Almost Stunned The No.1 Australian Test Team)

Tracker – Before Australia flown to Bangladesh:

The infamous long-standing pay-deal saga has reached to the final solution following the agreement between  Cricket Australia and Australia Cricketers’ Association earlier this month, the National Selectors of Australia announced the squad as players landed in Dhaka on August 18.

Here’s the list of probable Playing XI for both the teams:

Bangladesh XI: Mushfiqur Rahim (Skipper and gloveman), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam and Shafiul Islam,

Australia XI: Steven Smith (Skipper), Matt Renshaw, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.

The Venue for the first Test between Bangladesh and Australia?

The venue for the first Test is Sher-e-Bangla Stadium at Mirpur in Dhaka starting from August 27 (Sunday).

Where could the cricket fans catch the live action and stream it eventually online?

The five-day game’s live telecast will be aired by Star Sports 1 in India and will be streamed by Hotstar.

When will live coverage kick start and where you can access ball-by-ball score?

The timing of the game is 9:30 AM IST (Bangladesh time 10:00 AM), you can follow the detailed live score here: https://live.sportzwiki.com