Bangladesh Return to Australia Ends 23-Year Test Wait

Bangladesh are heading back to Australia for a Test series, and it has been a long wait to get here. Twenty-three years have gone by since their last red-ball trip Down Under, and a lot has changed in that time. Back in 2003, when Bangladesh played their maiden Test on Australian soil, Facebook did not exist, the iPhone was still years away, and Australia were sitting on top of the one-day cricket world. Remarkably, that last point hasn't changed. Australia are still the reigning ODI World Cup champions more than two decades on.

The series begins at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, the same ground that hosted Bangladesh's first Test in the country, before the tour shifts to Mackay for that venue's first taste of Test cricket.

Australia Hold the Advantage in WTC Race

On the World Test Championship table, Australia are sitting pretty. Seven wins from eight matches have given them a points percentage above 87, with the bulk of that success coming from their Ashes win.

Bangladesh's cycle has been shorter and shakier. A series loss to Sri Lanka was followed by a clean sweep of Pakistan, a result that pushed them up to fourth in the standings, ahead of India, at just over 58 percent. A one-off Test defeat to Zimbabwe in June doesn't count toward this cycle, but it's a reminder that Bangladesh's form heading into Australia hasn't been convincing.

Bangladesh Face Batting Questions

Their batting line-up has needed some patching up too. Soumya Sarkar is back in the fold after almost five years away from Test cricket, called up more out of necessity than form.

The responsibility will largely fall on the shoulders of Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Mushfiqur is the man in form and experience. He was player of the series against Pakistan earlier this year with 253 runs, and he's just 194 runs away from becoming the first Bangladeshi batter to reach 7,000 Test runs.

A warm-up defeat to a Cricket Australia XI, where Bangladesh were bundled out for 54 in their second innings, will not have done much for confidence going in.

Bowling Attack Hit by Injuries

The bowling attack has also taken hits. Nahid Rana is out with a side injury and Shoriful Islam is nursing a hamstring problem, leaving Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain to carry the pace workload.

Taijul Islam, Bangladesh's leading Test wicket-taker with 270 scalps, remains their spin spearhead, while all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz showed good form with a century against the Cricket Australia XI.

Australia Enter Series With Settled Squad

Australia, by contrast, look settled. Travis Head continues at the top after a strong summer, partnered by Jake Weatherald following Usman Khawaja's retirement, a shift that could see Alex Carey move up the order.

Steve Smith arrives with one oddity on his résumé. Bangladesh are the only Test opposition he hasn't scored a century against.

The pace attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood has been among the best in the world over the last two years, and both Hazlewood and Starc are closing in on major milestones. Nathan Lyon also returns from a hamstring injury that required surgery, giving Australia their spin option back.

Darwin Test Sets Up Intriguing Series

With Darwin's drop-in pitch an unfamiliar factor for both sides and Australia the clear favourites, this series marks a rare and intriguing return to Test cricket in the country's north for Bangladesh.

Watch the Australia vs Bangladesh Test series live on tapmad in Pakistan and Bangladesh, with complete coverage of every match, session and key moment.