Steve Smith, the long-time talisman for Australia in Tests, was the lone bright spot for the hosts on the opening day of the opening Test against Bangladesh in Darwin on Thursday.
Australia managed to bat just 53 overs as the Pat Cummins-led side was bundled out for a below-par score of 198. The situation would have been all the more abysmal had Smith not scored 71 runs off 109 balls. Hasan Mahmud was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers as he returned with six wickets,
The opening day of the first Test between Australia and Bangladesh also witnessed a hilarious moment after one spectator got riled up seeing the antics of the batter, who was chasing his 38th Test century.
Smith was at the crease during Australia’s first innings when play was briefly held up because of movement near the sight-screen. The former Australia captain appeared unhappy with the distraction and waited for the issue to be resolved before resuming his innings.
However, it was then that one fan, unimpressed by the delay, voiced his anger from the stands. He urged Smith to get on with it, and not waste time.
“Just hit the damn thing, Smudge. Stop being a princess. You are not bigger than the game, Steve. Deal with it,” the fan could be heard saying on the live broadcast.
Despite the fan repeatedly asking Smith to get on with the proceedings the batter did not get going until the issue at the side screen got solved.
The cheeky remark directed at Smith drew attention and quickly became one of the lighter moments. It is worth noting that Darwin is hosting a Test for the first time in more than two decades. This is also Bangladesh’s first Test in Australia after 23 years.
Hasan Mahmud runs through Australia
Bangladesh produced an outstanding bowling performance after Australia captain Pat Cummins opted to bat first. Mahmud was the chief destroyer, finishing with a career-best 6/55 as Australia were bowled out for only 198 in 53 overs. This was Australia’s lowest total in seven Tests against Bangladesh.
Hasan’s six-wicket haul was also a significant achievement for Bangladesh cricket. His figures represented the third-best innings return by a Bangladeshi fast bowler in Test cricket, behind Shahadat Hossain’s 6/27 and Ebadot Hossain’s 6/46.
Bangladesh then ended the day at 96/1, only trailing by 102 runs. For Australia, the sole wicket came through Mitchell Starc. With his scalp, Starc became the leading wicket-taker for left-armers in Tests and also equalled the tally of Kapil Dev in Tests (434).