Lunch Australia 74 for 4 (Weatherald 23, Smith 7*, Mahmud 2-25) vs Bangladesh

Bangladesh strode out of the field with their heads high to get themselves a well-earned lunch at Marrara Oval in Darwin on Thursday’s first day of the first Test, their three quicks having given them the perfect start to their first Test in Australia in 23 years.

Hasan Mahmud removed both openers, Jake Weatherald and Travis Head, before Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed joined the party, as Australia went to lunch on 74 for 4. The session ended with Taskin having Cameron Green caught at midwicket, where the veteran Mushfiqur Rahim took a sharp catch. Steven Smith was unbeaten at the break but was in the middle of a lucky streak: he has been dropped once in his 25-ball stay.

Bangladesh’s pace trio put in a full session of attacking both edges of the Australia top-order batters.

Mahmud, fresh off his first county cricket stint with Kent, was the pick of the bowlers. Coming into the Test with a four-for in the tour game, he tucked up Head, and kept teasing Weatherald with booming outswingers. It looked like he would finish his first spell without a wicket, but captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept him going, and he removed Weatherald for 23 with one of those outswingers in the 12th over, wicketkeeper Litton Das, passed fit the previous day, completing his part of the job.

Mahmud then removed Head when the batter played on to his stumps, having made 22. Head reacted with disgust as he had started to look a bit more free-flowing around that time, having just struck Mahmud for a cover drive the previous ball.

Australia then had several close calls with plays and misses. Tanzid Hasan dropped Smith at third slip when he was on two, though Shanto held on to Marnus Labuschagne’s offer at second slip well, off Ebadot, who celebrated with his customary salute.

Bangladesh made a huge appeal in the 21st over when they were confident that Smith was caught behind off Ebadot, but replays showed that there was no edge.

Taskin capped off the session when he had Green caught at short midwicket for 13. He had top edged a six earlier in the over, as Bangladesh’s bowlers looked to have followed the playbook to target the Australian batters.