Mackay, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Australia captain Pat Cummins described his team’s emphatic innings-and-51-run victory over Bangladesh in the second Test as the ideal response to their defeat in Darwin, praising the players for their sharpness and intensity from the outset in Mackay.
Australia bowled Bangladesh out for just 95 in the second innings after being dismissed for 210 in their first. Mitchell Starc was the standout performer, taking 10 wickets in the match, including 6/12 in the first innings and four more in the second. Cummins and Nathan Lyon claimed three wickets each in the second innings.
The victory, completed inside two days, levelled the two-Test series 1-1. The match lasted only 750 balls, making it Australia’s shortest Test in almost a century.
“Yeah, that’s right. A lot of things went right these couple of days, where a lot of things went wrong last week. But yeah, we needed to bounce back, and it was a great couple of days from the lads,” Cummins said after the match.
Australia had lost the opening Test in Darwin by nine wickets but produced a vastly improved display in Mackay, particularly in bowling and fielding.
Cummins said the team’s excellent start played a crucial role in setting the tone.
“I thought everyone was really sharp. It’s a bit like the opposite last week. If you get a really good first hour or two, it can set up the rest of the match. I don’t think we can expect to get six for 20 or whatever we had every match. But it was a great start and didn’t really let up after that,” he said.
Starc registered a career-best 10-wicket haul in a home Test, while Cummins returned figures of 3/10 in the second innings and Lyon finished with 3/25, taking the final two wickets of the match.
Cummins also praised Cameron Green, who followed his 104 in the first Test with a crucial 67 in Mackay.
“Really happy for him. Again, held our innings together yesterday and this morning. So hopefully he can take a lot of confidence out of that. We know how good he is. He now keeps putting up some really solid performances in Test cricket,” Cummins said.
Looking ahead, Cummins confirmed that he expects to feature in Australia’s upcoming white-ball commitments in Africa before the team returns to Test cricket.
“I think I will get over there for some of it. So yeah, we will work that out in the next couple of days. But yeah, plan to play a little bit of white-ball leading into the red ball,” he said.
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