Australia torpedoed Bangladesh for just 64 before slumping to 165-8 with the bat themselves on a frantic 18-wicket opening day of the second and final Test in Mackay.
The hosts needed a response following a shock nine-wicket defeat in the opening match in Darwin – and that came as Mitchell Starc (6-12) reduced Bangladesh to 12-5 after Australia won the toss.
Starc completed his five-for in just 22 deliveries, having Shadman Islam (0) caught at gully from the first ball of the game before inflicting further ducks on Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das around removing Mominul Haque (9).
After Starc sealed a six-wicket haul by nicking off last man – and top-scorer – Shoriful Islam (14), Australia plummeted to 41-3 as the recalled Matt Renshaw (8) and struggling Marnus Labuschagne (4) fell for single figures and Travis Head was bowled by Shoriful for 22.
Cameron Green (51no) and Steve Smith (42) steadied the innings with a stand off 77 from 112 deliveries, only for Smith’s lbw dismissal to Shoriful – who, like Starc, bagged six wickets on the day – to trigger a collapse of 5-30 before Nathan Lyon (10no) dug in until stumps.
Alex Carey (5), Beau Webster (0), captain Pat Cummins (0) and Starc (1) added just six runs between them with left-arm quick Shoriful (6-35) ousting Webster and Cummins in the same over to seal his maiden Test five-for before bowling Starc with a beauty in his next.
Ricky Ponting on Marnus Labuschagne (pictured): ‘He can’t score off the back foot. If you can’t score off the back foot in Test cricket, then batting becomes hard.’
Australia are on top, holding a 101-run lead heading into day two, but their continued batting failings are a concern and former Baggy Greens captain Ricky Ponting feels it is time for Labuschagne, who has gone 43 innings without a Test ton, to be axed.
Ponting told Channel 7: “I admire what the selectors are trying to do with Marnus. I admire that they have tried to get him back to his best but it’s been way too long now.
“I think there’s some technical deficiency there but he’s making the margin for error for the bowlers too great.
“He can’t score off the back foot. If you can’t score off the back foot in Test cricket, then batting becomes hard. I think it’s well and truly time to have a look at somebody else.”
