Mackay pitch: What can Bangladesh expect?

There has never been a Test match at Mackay, the venue for the second and final Test of the Bangladesh-Australia series. Even first-class cricket has been played only sparingly at the ground, with just five matches held there. 

The statistics from those games suggest a pace-friendly pitch, with fast bowlers claiming almost two and a half times as many wickets as spinners.

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Bangladesh have already made history by winning the Darwin Test, securing their first-ever Test victory over Australia on Australian soil. Now they have an even bigger opportunity. If Najmul Hossain Shanto's side win or draw the Test, which begins at the Great Barrier Reef Arena on Saturday, they will celebrate a historic series victory over Australia.

Mackay, set to become Australia's 12th Test venue, made its first-class debut in November 1995, when Sri Lanka suffered a heavy 273-run defeat to Queensland in a warm-up match. It then took another 20 years for red-ball cricket to return to the ground.

Queensland have played two Sheffield Shield matches at Mackay, in December 2015 and October 2023. The other two matches were played by Australia A. In September 2023, Australia A hosted New Zealand A in a day-night match played with a pink ball.

The most recent first-class match at the venue came in October-November 2024, when Australia A beat India A by seven wickets. Brendan Doggett, who has played two Tests for Australia, was the star of the first innings, taking six wickets for just 15 runs.

Pace bowlers have dominated across Mackay's five first-class matches. They have taken 122 wickets at an average of 23.67, compared with 50 wickets at 31.76 for the spinners. The most successful bowler at the Great Barrier Reef Arena is former Australia pacer Michael Kasprowicz, who took 12 wickets at an average of 7.91. Kasprowicz played 38 Tests, 43 ODIs and two T20Is for Australia.

The average first-innings score at the venue is 257. Captains winning the toss have elected to bat in 60 per cent of the matches, or three out of five, while the team winning the toss has gone on to win 80 per cent of the matches.

Mackay has hosted three ODIs while awaiting its Test debut. Its first ODI came in February 1992, although the World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned due to rain. The venue then endured a 33-year wait before international one-day cricket returned in August 2025, when Australia played two matches against South Africa.

International cricket is returning to Mackay after almost a year. Can Bangladesh carry the momentum from Darwin and write another chapter in their remarkable Test story?