Alex Carey wants Australia to play Bangladesh more often in Test cricket after the two sides produced a fiercely competitive series that ended 1-1 in Mackay on Sunday.
Bangladesh made history in the opening Test in Darwin last week. They stunned the world’s top-ranked Test side with a nine-wicket victory, earning their first Test win on Australian soil.
Australia responded emphatically in Mackay. They bowled Bangladesh out for 64 and 95 before sealing an innings-and-51-run victory inside two days.
Despite the dramatic turnaround, Carey believes the contest deserves another chapter.
“I think we’ll see a lot more of Bangladesh in Test cricket,” the Australia wicketkeeper said in Mackay. “We’d love to play more series against them. It’s nice to see them after the game and have a chat as well.”
The latest series formed part of a busy few months between the two teams. Australia visited Bangladesh in June for three ODIs and three T20Is. Bangladesh won the ODI series, while Australia took the T20I series.
The two-Test series in Australia then produced another split result.
Carey praised the competitive nature of the rivalry, which has now produced three formats of close cricket within a short period.
“It was an exciting series, played in great spirit,” he said. “Over the last few months, we’ve had some great competition against Bangladesh across ODI and Test cricket.”
Bangladesh had waited 23 years to play a Test series in Australia. Their previous visit came in 2003, and Cricket Australia’s limited scheduling of the Tigers meant another Test tour took more than two decades to arrive.
The latest series showed what Bangladesh can offer when given regular opportunities against elite Test opposition.
Their Darwin victory also exposed Australia’s vulnerability before the hosts produced a ruthless response in Mackay. Bangladesh’s batting collapsed twice, while Mitchell Starc claimed 10 wickets across the match.
The contrasting results also highlighted the value of a longer Test rivalry. Bangladesh pushed Australia to the limit in Darwin before the hosts responded on a difficult Mackay surface.
