The Australian Test cricket team get their 2017 season underway this Sunday as they travel to Bangladesh for a two Test series. The first match will be played in Dhaka starting from 2pm AEST Sunday and promises to be a much more competitive match than Australia vs Bangladesh ties in the past.
After a lengthy pay dispute issue with the Australian cricket team was finally resolved around a month ago, the top line Australian players have been given the all clear to travel to Bangladesh to open their 2017-18 Test campaign.
The selectors have picked a fairly similar squad to the one that travelled to India earlier in the year. David Warner and Matt Renshaw will reunite as Test openers while Steve Smith will naturally reprise his role as captain and top order batsmen. Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb will likely be at four and five with Hilton Cartwright and Glenn Maxwell competing for the all-rounder position at six.
Should be a fairly strong batting line-up with whichever all-rounder the selectors decide to go with Renshaw displaying his class in India and Smith still the number one ranked Test batsman in the world.
The bowling unit should also be pretty standard, with Nathan Lyon likely to support a pace trio combination of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird. Mitch Starc is the notable absentee from the squad through injury. Young leg spinner Mitch Swepson could also see some time if the pitches are suitable for two spinners
Bangladesh come into the series with probably the strongest cricket side they’ve fielded in their short history. The trio of captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal give Bangladesh something that they have seldom had in their 17 years as a Test playing nation, a batting order that can stay in for long periods against the best bowling attacks in the world.
Pair that with the spin combination of Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan and you have a lethal team with bat and ball tailored for Asian pitches.
The Aussies haven’t had the best form on Asian pitches of late, going down 2-1 to India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier in the year. The two teams have only played four test matches against each other, with the most recent coming back in 2006. Australia have won all four matches but it’s a much different Bangladesh line-up this time around.
I still give the advantage to the Australians. Bangladesh rely too heavily on their top three batsmen and if the Aussie pace attack can make some early inroads then they should be able to hold them to manageable scores.
TIP: Australia to win - $1.60 at Ladbrokes
The problem lies with the Aussies ability to handle the likely spin conditions. Matt Renshaw showed some real class against the Indian spin attach while Steve Smith is arguably the best player of spin in the world. I’m banking on them two plus a ultra wristy Usman Khawaja to be able to steer the Aussies to victory.
TIP: Matt Renshaw top Australian batsman 1st Innings - $5.50 at Sportsbet
For the home side, Tamim Iqbal has asserted himself as one of the premier batsmen in the world at the moment through a great campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy and preceding Tests against Sri Lanka. He’s odds on to top the Bangladesh batting line-up.
TIP: Tamim Iqbal top Bangladesh batsman 1st Innings - $4.50 at Sportsbet
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