Bangladesh were 194 for 9 in Darwin, and Miraz’s unbeaten 109 got them to 263

Bangladesh had nine wickets down for 194 at Marrara Oval when Khaled Ahmed walked out to join Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The last pair added 69. By the time Khaled fell for 15 and the innings closed on 263, Miraz had brought up his hundred and finished unbeaten on 109 from 141 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes.

Bangladesh chose to bat on the opening day of their only match before the Test series. They were seven for one inside three overs, and it did not get a great deal better until Miraz took over.

Rocchiccioli bowls 24 of the 75.5 overs

Corey Rocchiccioli did most of the damage. The offspinner sent down 24 overs, five of them maidens, and finished with six for 83. Shadman Islam went first, caught by Tom Menzies for 31. Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim followed, one caught by Kurtis Patterson, the other by Josh Philippe for a four-ball duck. Rocchiccioli came back later to bowl Soumya Sarkar, trap Taijul Islam lbw and have Hasan Mahmud caught behind.

Only two of Bangladesh’s top six passed 20. Najmul Hossain Shanto, who captains the side, made 37 off 53 with seven fours before Campbell Thompson had him caught by Patterson. Amite Hasan spent 61 balls over 15. Mominul faced 58 for his 16. Tanzid Hasan lasted eight balls for nought.

At 110 for six after 38.5 overs, Bangladesh were staring at a total in the low 150s.

Miraz bats through the back half

Miraz came in at 105 for five and was still there 38 overs later. He put on 48 with Soumya Sarkar, who made 16 off 36 before Rocchiccioli bowled him, then 30 with Taijul Islam. When the ninth wicket went down at 194, Bangladesh had batted 63.4 overs and Miraz was still short of his hundred.

What followed was the most productive passage of Bangladesh’s day. Khaled Ahmed hung around for 28 balls, hit a four and a six of his own, and let Miraz farm the strike. Miraz finished striking at 77, brisk for a red-ball innings of that length, and the last-wicket stand was worth more than any partnership that came before it. Ten batters got Bangladesh to 194. The eleventh helped add another 69.

Cricket Australia XI lose two in the first three overs

The reply started worse than Bangladesh’s innings did. Hasan Mahmud had Sam Konstas caught behind by Amite Hasan for one in the second over. Taskin Ahmed bowled Campbell Kellaway for nought in the third. Cricket Australia XI were one for two.

Patterson and Philippe then batted through to stumps without further loss. Patterson, captaining the side, was 26 not out off 27 balls with three fours. Philippe had 22 off 36. The home side closed on 51 for two from 12 overs, trailing by 212, with Hasan Mahmud’s figures reading four overs, two maidens, one for four.

A week out from Darwin’s first Test in 22 years

The first Test starts at the same ground on 13 August. It is the first Test match in Darwin since July 2004, when Australia beat Sri Lanka by 149 runs, and the second of the series moves to Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from 22 August. Both count towards the 2025-27 World Test Championship.

Bangladesh get there short-handed. Nahid Rana, who has taken more international wickets than any bowler this year, is out with a left-side strain picked up against Zimbabwe. Shoriful Islam also misses the opener. Soumya Sarkar is back in a Test squad for the first time since February 2021, and on Thursday he lasted 36 balls.

Australia, by contrast, have Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon all fit and named in a 13-man squad. Which is the uncomfortable part of a day like this one. Rocchiccioli is not in that squad. He is one of the offspinners circling the job whenever Lyon finally gives it up, and he has spent this week taking six wickets off the tourists on a Darwin surface. Lyon is the one who gets to bowl at them from 13 August.

Stay across Bangladesh’s tour of Australia