Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud claimed a career-best 6 for 55 to dismiss Australia for 198 on the opening day of the first Test in Darwin, before the tourists' top order pushed the visitors to 96 for 1 at stumps, cutting their first-innings deficit to 102. Steve Smith's defiant 71 was the standout Australian innings on a green-tinged surface that offered plenty for the seamers throughout the day.
Australia had won the toss and started brightly, racing to 45 without loss, before Hasan struck twice in the space of two overs to remove openers Jake Weatherald (23) and Travis Head (22). From that point, Hasan combined with fellow pace bowlers Taskin Ahmed (2 for 55) and Ebadot Hossain (2 for 39) to dominate the first two sessions, exploiting the conditions with disciplined bowling that left the home side's innings held together largely by Smith.
How did Australia's top order collapse?
Weatherald, playing in front of a partisan home crowd in his native Darwin, never looked settled and was dismissed after an ill-advised swipe at a wide delivery from Hasan, adding further pressure on his place in the side. Head fell in Hasan's next over, dragging the ball onto his stumps as Australia slipped to 52 for 2 from around-the-wicket bowling.
Ebadot then removed Marnus Labuschagne for just 1, caught by Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and could have accounted for Smith early too, but for a dropped chance at third slip. According to a live match report, Smith was in fact dropped when he had scored just 2, a reprieve that proved costly for Bangladesh as he went on to anchor the innings.
Bangladesh continued to press home its advantage before the lunch break, restricting Australia to 74 for 4 when all-rounder Cameron Green fell for 13. After the interval, Ebadot dismissed Alex Carey for 19 and Taskin bowled Beau Webster for 12, before both captain Pat Cummins (9) and Mitchell Starc (1) were caught behind off Hasan ahead of the tea break.
How did Steve Smith's innings unfold?
Smith's 71 came off 109 balls and included seven boundaries and a six, according to the original match coverage, though further detail from CricTracker puts his time at the crease at 183 minutes for the same 109-ball knock. Smith and Carey had added 55 runs for the fifth wicket, according to a Bhaskar English report, before Carey's dismissal left Smith increasingly isolated.
The innings also marked Smith's 45th Test half-century, according to a livescorecard cited by Hindustan Times. He was eventually the second-last man out, advancing on Hasan and top-edging a catch to wicketkeeper Litton Das. Hasan's dismissal of Smith completed his third five-wicket haul in Test cricket, and he added the final wicket of Nathan Lyon (7) to wrap up the Australian innings in 53 overs, finishing with figures of 6 for 55 from 17 overs — his best in the format, according to Rediff.
How did Bangladesh respond with the bat?
Despite Australia reassembling its first-choice pace attack of Cummins, Starc and Josh Hazlewood alongside veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, the hosts managed only a single breakthrough against Bangladesh's top order. Opener Shadman Islam made a brisk 20 before offering a leading edge off Starc that was caught by Lyon at cover point, with the total on 36.
From there, Mominul Haque (35) and Tanzid Hasan (32) put on an unbroken 60-run stand to steady the innings. By the close, Bangladesh had reached 1 for 95, according to the ABC's live coverage, a figure that differs slightly from the 96 for 1 reported elsewhere, leaving the tourists trailing by 102 runs with nine wickets in hand heading into day two.
How does this fit into the wider series and schedule?
The two-Test
