Australian captain impressed by Shariful's bowling

Australian captain impressed by Shariful's bowling

Online Desk
Online Desk

Published: 03:59 23 August 2026

Shariful Islam could not play in the first Test of the series against Australia due to injury. However, the Bangladeshi left-arm pacer proved his ability after returning to the playing XI in the second Test. He bowled brilliantly in the Mackay Test, dismissing seven Australian batters. His performance also caught the attention of Australian captain Pat Cummins.

In the second Test of the series at Mackay, Australia bundled out Bangladesh for just 64 runs in the first innings. In response, Shariful hit the hosts' batting lineup. In the end, he achieved a career-best bowling feat by taking 7 wickets for 48 runs. His 7/48 performance also ranks as the best bowling figure by a Bangladeshi bowler abroad.

Shariful's bowling had a great combination of speed, swing and bounce. He kept the Australian batters under pressure even at the beginning of the second innings. Australia's batting innings was limited to 210 runs under his bowling.

Australian captain Pat Cummins praised Shariful at the post-match press conference. He said Shariful bowled very well. He had great swing with his ball and the wind from Mackay also helped his bowling. Overall, Cummins described Shariful's bowling as excellent.

Regarding Bangladesh's batting, Cummins said that the conditions sometimes put the batters to a tough test. Batsmen also made mistakes while trying to score runs. According to him, Mackay's fast and bouncy wicket was completely different from Bangladesh's home field conditions.

However, despite Shariful's excellent bowling, Australia won the match by a big margin. Bangladesh's second innings ended at just 95 runs. As a result, Australia won by an innings and 51 runs within two days and ended the two-match Test series tied 1-1.

Mitchell Starc made a big contribution to Australia's victory. He was named man of the match with 10 wickets for 51 runs in both innings. His 6/12 bowling in the first innings saw Bangladesh bowled out for just 64.

While the result of the match was disappointing for Bangladesh, Shariful Islam's performance was a major achievement. His return to the playing XI after recovering from injury and taking 7 wickets against a strong team like Australia remains one of the best achievements of his Test career.

Advertisement