Losing to Bangladesh at home was an epic embarrassment for Australia, but they’ve comeback into the series exactly how a champion team would’ve. Opting to bowl, Australia left Bangladesh reeling at 35-6 at Lunch on Day 1 of the second Test in Mackay. Australia have one of the most fearsome bowling attacks; however, the celebrated pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were neutralised by Bangladesh in Darwin, with the Tigers posting over 400 in the first innings. Their response, however, was nothing less than a nightmare for the visitors.

Mitchell Starc was on fire, as if he was out to make a statement, and bowled thunderbolts to decimate the Bangladesh top order, claiming a five-wicket haul in just 22 balls. He struck with the very first delivery of the Test, removing Shadman Islam after he was caught in the gully. Starc then accounted for Tanzid Hasan, who had scored a century in the previous Test, before trapping Najmul Hossain Shanto LBW with the very next delivery. The Australian quick continued Bangladesh’s demolition in his third over, dismissing Mominul Haque before sending Litton Das back to the pavilion. Out of the five wickets he took before Lunch, four of them were dismissed without troubling the scorers. Pat Cummins, meanwhile, also chipped in with the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim.

Meanwhile, the sensational spell by Starc also helped him leapfrog Dale Steyn in the list of most wickets in the format. Starc, now 10th in the all-time list, has 440 wickets in 107 Tests. His fifer was the sixth quickest in history in terms of balls taken; however, Starc already tops the list, having taken a 15-ball fifer against the West Indies last year. Starc had also become the leading wicket-taker among left-arm bowlers after dismissing Shadman Islam in the first Test, leapfrogging Sri Lanka great Rangana Herath.