Bangladesh 64 (Starc 6-12)
Australia 8-165 (Green 51no, Shoriful 6-35)
Australia has the upper hand on a first day when 18 wickets fell at Mackay, but it was, like the Ashes, a case of a poor performance by the the batters being made to look better by bowlers and an even poorer performance from the opposition.
You can always find someone worse than you, but it’s a sorry defence in every circumstance.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the seamers did their job, and the top order wobbled alarmingly. This batting is a right worry.
First up, Cummins threw the new ball to Mitchell Starc, who soon after had 5-4. But for a single boundary, he’d have had 5-0. They made quick work of it, the quicks, bowling Bangladesh for a McCartneyesque 64 in 34 overs.
Australia’s lead at the end of the day flattered the performance of its own batters, who struggled to survive the next 40 overs.
Obviously, the wicket had a lot in it, but that excuse is getting a bit shop worn.
Back from injury, Shoriful Islam picked up a career-best six-wicket haul as he exposed the technical deficiencies of a top order that looks little better for having abandoned Jake Weatherald. If Marnus was a cat, his eighth life ended in ignominy, bowled around his legs. His ninth may start and end on day two.
“Bowler’s name?” the spectator bellowed from his vantage point on the hill, right under the overflow area of the press box.
You know that bloke. A human public address system armed with an endless torrent of weary witticisms. Almost as annoying as the ground announcer defiling the morning still with inane observations about the pending excitement, weather and whatever.
Enough of this curmudgeon-ing; the atmosphere, it must be said, was great. Beautiful day, picnic tables and umbrellas and barbeques and grassy knolls filled with families and fans. Some louder than others.
Mitchell Starc was the bowler’s name, as we all knew, and almost before the question was asked he’d made a breakthrough. Soon after, he was threatening his own record of five wickets in 15 balls in Jamaica last year.