Starc’s 10 wickets leads Australia to series-leveling victory in 2nd test against Bangladesh

MACKAY, Australia (AP) — Mitchell Starc’s 10-wicket match haul lifted Australia to a morale boosting victory by an innings and 51 run in the second cricket test as it leveled the two-match series against Bangladesh inside two days.

Starc returned match figures of 10-51, after taking four wickets Sunday to go with his incredible 6-12 on a wild Day 1 which saw Bangladesh bundled out for 64 before the hosts also had its struggles on a spicy pitch at Mackay, in northern Queensland state.

It was the evergreen left-arm swing bowler’s fourth ten-wicket haul in tests and also saw him move past South Africa pace great Dale Steyn into 10th on the all-time list with 445 wickets.

Pat Cummins (3-10) and Nathan Lyon each took three wickets to support Starc as Bangladesh could only manage 95 in its second innings to hand Australia a comprehensive win after its shock loss in last week’s first test at Darwin.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top scored for the visitors with 31, while Mushfiqur Rahim had an unbeaten 29, but the pair had very little help from the remaining tourist batters with only two scoring above double digits.

Aussie’s extend lead

Earlier Sunday, Australia resumed at 165-8 with Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon adding another 28 useful runs Sunday for the ninth wicket.

After also taking six wickets on Day 1, Shoriful Islam soon picked up his seventh with a searing inswinging yorker which struck Green on the front foot and was given out leg before wicket on review.

Shoriful’s 7-48 was the best bowling figures for a Bangladesh player away from home.

Green’s 67 off 105 balls with 10 boundaries was the top score of the match so far and follows his breakthrough home century in the first test at Darwin.

Lyon (32 not out) and Josh Hazlewood then pushed Australia’s score past 200 before Hazelwood (6) skied a catch off Taijul Islam (1-17) to end the innings at 210, and a significant first innings lead of 146 runs on a bowlers’ wicket.

Starc’s perfect 10

Fresh from taking 6-12 in the first innings, Starc again tormented Bangladesh’s top order in the second innings taking another two wickets in consecutive balls to have the visitors’ reeling early in its chase.

After surviving Starc’s first over of the second innings, Bangladesh were not as fortunate in the Aussie’s next over as Shadman Islam (1) edged a catch to Marnus Labuschagne, before Mominul Haque (0) shouldered arms and had his off stump rattled with Starc’s next delivery.

Starc (4-39) returned after lunch to remove the luckless Litton Das for another duck. The wicketkeeper batter faced 27 balls across three innings in the series for no runs.

Starc got his fourth ten-wicket haul in his 107th test with a characteristic delivery that went through the gate of bat and pad and bowled Taijul Islam for seven just before tea.

Starc only narrowly missed his best ever bowling figures (11-94 vs. Sri Lanka at Galle in 2016) as Lyon (3-25) cleaned up the tail taking the final two wickets in the first over after tea to end the match.

The two-test “Top End” series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.

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