Australia will begin a new home campaign when they host Bangladesh in the first Test at Marrara Stadium in Darwin. The Test, which runs from August 13-17, will be Australia's first in more than six months following their dominant 4-1 Ashes triumph over England. The hosts enter the series with a full-strength squad and a formidable pace attack, while Bangladesh arrive looking to cause an upset despite losing key fast bowlers to injury. Australia hold a 5-1 advantage from the six previous Tests between the nations, with Bangladesh's only victory coming in Mirpur back in 2017.
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Australia vs Bangladesh 1st Test Preview & Betting Tips
Darwin, Thursday 13 August, 10:30am AEDT
Australia
Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Australia have named a powerful 13-man squad for the opening Test, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon all returning after limited involvement during the Ashes. The likely XI features Jake Weatherald and Travis Head at the top, followed by Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Cameron Green, with Alex Carey and Beau Webster providing further batting depth. The biggest selection question surrounds the bowling attack, with Cummins, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Lyon all available alongside Scott Boland.
Travis Head is expected to retain his place as opener after making a spectacular transition to the top of the order during the Ashes. With Usman Khawaja now retired and no other specialist opener included in the squad, Head looks set to continue alongside Weatherald. There is also plenty of interest surrounding Hazlewood, who is just five wickets away from becoming the ninth Australian to reach 300 Test wickets. Australia have also won seven of their last eight Tests and currently sit atop the World Test Championship standings with a points percentage of 87.50.
Bangladesh
Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vc), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali Anik, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan
Bangladesh face a difficult assignment and have suffered two significant blows before the series has even started. Fast bowler Nahid Rana, who has impressed with his high pace this year, is unavailable with a side injury, while left-armer Shoriful Islam has been ruled out with a hamstring strain after taking 6-48 against Australia in an ODI in June. Shoriful could potentially return for the second Test in Mackay, but his absence leaves Bangladesh with a significantly less experienced pace attack for the opener.
There is still plenty of experience and quality in the Tigers' batting line-up. Litton Das has been Bangladesh's leading Test run-scorer over the past five years, while veteran Mushfiqur Rahim is just 194 runs away from becoming the country's first batter to reach 7,000 Test runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also arrives in good touch after smashing a century in the warm-up against the Cricket Australia XI, and his all-round ability alongside Taijul Islam's left-arm spin will be crucial. However, Bangladesh were dismissed for just 54 in their second innings against the CA XI, ultimately losing by an innings and 38 runs, highlighting the enormous challenge their batting order faces against Australia's attack.
Match Prediction
Australia look extremely difficult to oppose in Darwin. The combination of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon gives the hosts an enormous advantage in both experience and quality, while the return of Hazlewood and Lyon significantly strengthens a bowling attack that already proved dominant throughout the Ashes. Australia have also won five of their six Tests against Bangladesh, and their fast bowlers have averaged a wicket every 20.75 runs over the past two years, the second-best record among Test pace attacks.
Bangladesh are capable of making Australia work for their runs, particularly through Mehidy and Taijul, but the injuries to Rana and Shoriful are difficult to overcome. The Tigers' lack of experience against Australia's four-pronged pace attack should eventually tell, particularly if the pitch at Marrara offers assistance to the quicks. Australia should be able to take control early and grind Bangladesh down across five days. Not alot of value in the Aussies here so we'll opt for some plays outside of the H2H market.
Player Prop Bet
Travis Head 50+ runs is the player prop I like most for the opening Test. Head has completely embraced his new role at the top of the order, boasting a strike rate of 91.7 when opening in Tests since the beginning of 2025, the best mark among players to have opened in more than one innings during that period. With Bangladesh missing two of their leading quicks and Head likely to face the new ball, there is an excellent opportunity for the left-hander to make another significant contribution at the top of the order.
Head 50+ Runs 1st Inn
$2.17
