The Mackay pitch will come under scrutiny from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after 30 wickets fell and the second Test finished in the second session of day two. Mitchell Starc claimed match figures of 10-52 in an absolute masterclass of fast bowling.
Bangladesh were bowled out for just 64 and 95, while Australia only mustered 210 but won by an innings and 51 runs. The match only lasted 124 overs, and the grand total of 750 balls made it the fourth-fastest completed match in Test cricket history.
Mitchell Starc (R) took 10 wickets as Australia won the second cricket Test on day two. Image: Getty/Channel 7
It was the second shortest on Australian soil in 96 years after a Test against South Africa only lasted 656 balls in Melbourne in 1932. Pitch curator Peter Kazakoff used soil from the fast and bouncy Gabba wicket and promised the Test would be good for the pacemen.
But he wouldn’t have expected the match to finish in the middle session of day two. The Bangladesh batters struggled with the pace and bounce, and despite the fact there was no untoward movement or deliveries doing unexpected things, the ICC might look unfavourably on the conditions if they decide it wasn’t a good balance between bat and ball.
The MCG copped a demerit point during last year’s Ashes series after the Boxing Day Test finished on day two, with the ICC rating the surface “unsatisfactory”. And the Gabba suffered the same fate in 2022 when the ICC rated a fast and lively pitch “below average” after a Test against South Africa.
Mitchell Starc destroyed Bangladesh with 10 wickets. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images)
A demerit point would be a cruel fate for Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay considering it rarely hosts Test cricket. Many thought it the quick Test was simply a case of the Aussie bowlers being a class above the Bangladesh batters. But the fact Bangladesh won the first Test by nine wickets after making 426 doesn’t seem to support that theory.
Mitchell Starc defends Mackay pitch
Speaking after 18 wickets fell on day one, Kazakoff told the ABC: “Obviously the game’s accelerated a bit quicker than I would have liked, however I think the bowling teams of both sides have been exceptional.”
Starc supported that and said the wicket wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. “I would say that the 18 wickets (on day one) don’t reflect the quality of the wicket,” he told Channel 7. “I think it’s a very good pitch. There haven’t been any balls playing silly buggers or going sideways all day.”