Australia arrive in Bangladesh on Friday carrying the lessons of a bruising tour of Pakistan, and acting captain Josh Inglis believes the subcontinent will once again put his side through their paces. Having lost a three-match ODI series 2-1 in conditions that heavily favoured spin, Inglis is under no illusions about what awaits them at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
Across all three matches in Pakistan, Australia failed to post 250 in any innings. In the first ODI in Rawalpindi, debutant left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas took a record-breaking five-wicket haul to bowl Australia out for just 200, with Pakistan chasing the target down with five wickets in hand. Australia fought back in the second match in Lahore, defending 231 to win by 41 runs and level the series.
The decider, however, told a familiar story. Australia were bowled out for 157, and though Pakistan slipped to 112 for six in reply, they recovered to win without losing another wicket, sealing both the match and the series. Throughout the tour, slow, low-bouncing surfaces gripped and turned sharply under intense heat, making run-scoring a relentless challenge for the visiting batters.
Speaking before departing for Dhaka, Inglis was candid about his expectations.
“We might get similar conditions over there. We will have to wait and see. But it has been good to experience some different conditions here and get some plans together. It has been a good experience for a lot of the guys.”
He also reflected on what the tour had offered to several players still finding their feet in international cricket. Oliver Pick made his Australia debut during the series, while Cooper Connolly also featured, and Alex Carey was tried as an opener. For many in the squad, it was their first visit to Pakistan.
“For them it is a new experience. I said to Oli Pick, as an Australian you cannot get much harder conditions than this, it is so against us. I have probably been to Pakistan four times now and it is still hard for me. I told him to embrace it all.”
“A lot of the guys are still learning to play in these conditions, their plans, how to handle reverse swing and spin. There are a lot of learnings and a lot of positives. All in all it has been a good experience.”
Mitchell Marsh had been named as Australia’s captain for the Pakistan series in the absence of Pat Cummins, but an injury ruled him out too, leaving Inglis to lead the side. Cricket Australia have not yet confirmed whether Marsh will be fit in time for the Bangladesh fixtures.
One significant boost, however, is the return of Travis Head, who was not part of the Pakistan tour and will now add considerable firepower to the batting line-up.
The three-match ODI series begins on Tuesday at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, followed by a three-match T20 series in Chattogram.
Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, Tanvir Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa.
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Adam Zampa.
