Australia taught a Test batting lesson by a side who refuse to beat themselves

Darwin: This really is different. After the summer of Bazball’s Ashes implosion allowed them to capitalise repeatedly on English mistakes, Australia are fighting for Test match life against a Bangladesh side who have had the temerity to play the game wisely, and well, over two days.

Having briefly threatened to crash through with the second new ball, the Australians finished up sentenced to a third consecutive day in the field at Marrara Stadium, against opponents Cricket Australia have not deemed worthy of a five-day match on these shores since 2003.

With a first innings lead of 153 and counting, Bangladesh are 6-351 and in a position where they can strive for a seismic victory over an Australian side who, in the words of one former player at the ground, will have to “dig really deep” to get out of this hole.

Bangladesh were led by a splendid century from Tanzid Hasan (101), a technically tight left-hander who, at the age of 25, is playing just his second Test. Younger than any member of the Australian XI, Tanzid showed up more than a few of his seniors with a combination of sound method and application, capped off when he punched the air while taking his hundredth run.

Will Pucovski, his Test career thwarted after one match by concussion, described the moment with real feeling.

“[There were] a few nerves getting through those 90s, but he showed enough composure to get there, and put his team in a very commanding position,” Pucovski said in the Seven commentary box. “See the emotion when he did get to that 100 – he’s worked his whole life for this exact moment.”

Tanzid had plenty of support as the visitors valued partnerships. Mominul Haque (49) and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (84) kept Pat Cummins’ men working throughout the day, absorbing accurate spells and taking advantage of loose ones.

There were quite a few liberties taken with Nathan Lyon at times, and one of the day’s biggest cheers came for the introduction of Travis Head to hurry the arrival of the second new ball.

For the second day in a row there was evidence of rustiness in both minds and bodies. Speaking before play, Mitchell Starc spoke of the challenge of bowling to shorter batsmen than those sent out by England last summer: Ben Duckett will be flattered to hear that.

There is also, not far under the surface, evidence of irritation among both batting and bowling cohorts. Lyon’s night-one quip that he wasn’t doing radio interviews to comment on “shit batting” ran up against Steve Smith’s contention that conditions were extremely difficult.

In truth, they had only been so for a session at most, in which time Australia lost four wickets. So far, this has been a very fair Test pitch, provided combatants have the skills required for it. Bangladesh’s tally for the day was 5-255, which is good, sound Test match batting.

Neither of the all-rounders, Beau Webster and Cameron Green, made much of an impact with the ball, and at times Webster’s medium pace was treated with disdain. Green bowled better in the final session, but has not shown any of the tall fast-bowler intimidation factor Cummins had wished for before the Test. Any day that requires two spells from Marnus Labuschagne is not going to be a good one for Australia.

Tanzid’s performance also raised a parallel question about the evolution of a Test team. Might Australia have been better served to include one or two younger or less seasoned players in the 11, as Ricky Ponting suggested?

Certainly, these two days will accelerate CA management and board discussions about succession planning, and whether current head coach Andrew McDonald and selection chair George Bailey want to oversee the regeneration. McDonald’s current contract expires late next year.

If there was any consolation for the Australians, it came in how Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins hit better lengths with the second new ball to claim a wicket each, as Steve Smith moved level with Joe Root for the most ever catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Tests (218).

But even then, their hopes of inducing a sustained rush of wickets was frustrated by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and first innings destroyer Hasan Mahmud, who both showed plenty of stubbornness to keep the innings going.

Tempers frayed late in the day when Starc clashed with Mehidy about running through the danger area on the pitch, forcing umpire Kumar Dharmasena to intervene. Cummins’ pace dropped away in his final spell, with teammates mindful the bowlers have more work ahead of them if Australia somehow bat themselves into defending a fourth innings target.

“It was Test cricket, a good old grind, hot weather, flat wicket,” Webster said. “It’s not going to be two days where the ball’s flying around and boundaries and wickets, so a good old-fashioned grind and we’ve got to be up for the fight the last three days.”

Green then put an exclamation mark on things by dropping a chance from Hasan off Labuschagne from the last ball of the day.

Unlike England, Bangladesh have come here determined to play proper Test cricket. In doing so, they are showing South Africa, New Zealand, India and even an England side soon to be helmed by Stephen Fleming that this Australian side is vulnerable. Not to pyrotechnics, but to teams who refuse to beat themselves.

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