21/08/2026
Fox Cricket’s expert analysts said that while Mackay tended to flatten out, it could be spicy early, which is why the Australians wanted to assess the pitch further before making a call after a week of “soul searching” according to Cummins.
Curator Peter Kazakoff said the timing of the Test in late August could make the pitch more seam friendly than usual, but noted that history suggests that the deck will take spin as the match progresses.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expects the pitch in Mackay will be livelier than the deck in Darwin but he has no plans to change from the pace-spin attack that caused difficulty for Australia.
“Before we came here we prepared for a bouncy track with the series against Zimbabwe,” he said.
“The batters have used the net sessions in the last couple of days to prepare, so I think they will cope with the extra bounce.
“I’ve said many times that the spin attack we have is very experienced and can bowl to any conditions. They know how to bowl to these conditions so I had the luxury to go with three (pace bowlers) and two (spinners).”
