History was walking towards Bangladesh. They had beaten Australia in Darwin. They needed one more result to win the series. They had never done anything like this before in Australian conditions. But Mitchell Starc had another plans. Starc Destroys Bangladesh With 5 Wickets at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay and everything changed in the blink of an eye.
The Collapse That Stunned Mackay
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat first. The decision looked reasonable. Mackay’s Harrup Park surface was expected to offer some pace and bounce early before settling. Nobody anticipated what Starc had planned.
Bangladesh is 12 for 5 after just 7 overs. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are the only two batters left standing. Neither had scored. The bowling had not even entered the third over before four Bangladesh batters were walking back to the dressing room.
Starc’s 5 Wickets: Ball by Ball
The devastation was immediate. Shadman Islam faced the first ball of the innings from Mitchell Starc. He edged to Cameron Green in the slip cordon for a duck. The first ball of the Test. The first wicket.
Tanzid Hasan arrived next. He managed one ball. He edged to Beau Webster at another slip position for another duck. Two wickets in three balls. Mackay had barely settled into the day’s play.
Mominul Haque showed some resistance. He faced 16 balls. He hit two fours. He scored 9. Then he edged another Starc delivery to Cameron Green at slip. His was the most substantial of Bangladesh’s four collapses. It still ended in the cordon.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto arrived at number four. He faced one ball. Starc trapped him lbw for a duck without him offering a shot. Four wickets for Starc. Four catches and lbws combined. Bangladesh went to 11 for 4.
Bangladesh white-ball captain went in a similar fashion with the trap set by Mitchell Starc. He did not have any answer to the swinging deliveries and got a lucky chance as a catch was dropped by Beau Webster. But on the 4th ball of the 7th over, Mitchell Starc got the better of Litton Das to get him on a golden duck.
The Full Scorecard at the Collapse
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadman Islam | c Green b Starc | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Tanzid Hasan | c Webster b Starc | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Mominul Haque | c Green b Starc | 9 | 16 | 56.25 |
| Shanto (c) | lbw b Starc | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | not out | 2 | 12 | 16.66 |
| Litton Das | lbw b Starc | 0 | 5 | 0.00 |
Bangladesh is currently on 11 for 5. Starc completed his 5-wickets haul in just 22 balls. Cameron Green held two catches at slip. The new-ball spell was one of the most devastating opening bursts in Australian Test cricket in recent memory.
Why This Collapse Happened
Three of the 5 dismissals came via edges to the slip cordon. That tells its own story. Starc found substantial movement off the Mackay surface. The Great Barrier Reef Arena surface behaved very differently from Darwin’s pitch.
Darwin offered Bangladesh’s pace bowlers the bounce and carry that suited Hasan Mahmud’s style. Mackay appears to offer Starc exactly the same advantage in reverse. The lateral movement he generated in those opening overs was exceptional. Bangladesh’s batters had no answer for the pace, the angle, and the movement combining simultaneously.
The toss decision may also come under scrutiny. Choosing to bat first against Starc at full pace on a fresh Mackay pitch with the morning moisture still in the surface gave Australia’s most experienced swing bowler ideal conditions. Whether Bangladesh would choose differently with hindsight is the question their coaching staff will be asking themselves.
Cameron Green’s Slip Catching
Two of Starc’s four wickets required catches from Cameron Green at slip. Both were taken cleanly and quickly. Green’s catching in the slip cordon has been one of Australia’s quiet advantages throughout this series.
He held both Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque without needing a second attempt. In a collapse as swift as this one, dropped catches would have given Bangladesh a foothold they desperately needed. Green denied them that opportunity on both occasions.
What This Means for the Match
Bangladesh reached the point where they needed a miracle rescue from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Both are at the crease with minimal runs between them. The task before them was enormous.
A Bangladesh first innings total of less than 100 would put Australia in complete control of this Test. A total of 150 or more would still be concerning for the home side, but would at least give Bangladesh’s bowlers something to defend.
At 11 for 5, neither outcome could be predicted with any confidence. What Mushfiqur and Mehidy build in their partnership becomes the most important cricket of the entire series at this point.
Australia’s Series Position
Australia lost the first Test in Darwin by nine wickets. That was Bangladesh’s most famous victory in 26 years of Test cricket. It was Bangladesh’s first-ever Test win on Australian soil. Now, at the first opportunity of the second Test, Australia have responded with the most decisive possible opening session statement.
Australia winning this Test would level the series 1-1. It would deny Bangladesh a series win in Australia. It would preserve Australia’s record of never losing a home Test series to Bangladesh. Every wicket Starc takes in this opening spell carries that weight.
The broader story of how Bangladesh built their way to this remarkable moment in Australian conditions, including their ODI series win that started the 2026 cycle of results between these two nations, is explored in our piece on Bangladesh making history with their first ODI series win over Australia. This Test series has become the red-ball sequel to that story.
Starc’s Record at This Stage
Mitchell Starc taking 5 wickets in an opening spell against Bangladesh is not something that will have surprised anyone who has watched him bowl over the past decade. He is Australia’s most dangerous new-ball bowler when the conditions offer him any assistance. Great Barrier Reef Arena Mackay’s surface on the first morning offered him plenty.
His previous career-best against Bangladesh in Test cricket was his 2015 opening-spell performance in Chittagong. This Mackay spell now stands alongside it as the most devastating opening burst he has delivered against the Tigers.
At 36 years old, Starc continues to produce these spells at crucial moments in Test matches. That consistency over many years places him firmly in the conversation about Australia’s greatest left-arm pacers, a topic explored through the lens of WTC importance in our piece on the ICC World Test Championship 2025-2027 format and how it works.
Conclusion
Mitchell Starc bowled 22 balls in Mackay and he took 5 wickets. Three went via slip catches and couple of was lbw. Bangladesh’s top 5 were dismissed for a combined total of 12 runs. Australia needed a response after Darwin. Their fastest and most experienced bowler provided it in the most emphatic terms possible. The series now swings on what Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz can build from 12 for 5. Australia are firmly back in this Test.
