Bangladesh haven’t played a Test in Australia for 23 years, and when they land next month for a rare red-ball tour, they’ll walk into a Test summer already reshaped by Pat Cummins’ return to full fitness.

Darwin hosts the series opener from August 13, Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena stages the decider from August 22, and the tour sits inside the current World Test Championship cycle, where every session carries points as well as pride.

Full Schedule for the Bangladesh Tour of Australia 2026

The tour opens in Darwin, a ground Bangladesh have never played a Test at, before shifting to Mackay for a venue that has hosted only a handful of international fixtures. East coast fans get a reasonable mid-morning start for both games, while those further west will need to set an earlier alarm.

Queensland doesn’t run daylight saving, so Mackay’s local time and AEST line up exactly, giving east-coast viewers a straightforward morning session with nothing to convert. Darwin sits half an hour behind Sydney and Melbourne in August, a gap that only grows once the rest of the country shifts to daylight saving in October while the Northern Territory stays put year-round.

(Source: Cricbuzz)

Head-to-Head: Australia vs Bangladesh in Test Cricket

Test cricket between these two sides has been one-sided so far, with Australia winning five of the six meetings played, though Bangladesh’s growing competitiveness in white-ball cricket suggests this tour won’t be the formality history might predict.

(Source: Cricbuzz)

That record explains why most realistic Bangladesh fans will measure success in sessions survived and partnerships built rather than a series win. Even so, a side capable of beating Australia in one-day cricket on its own patch has shown it can compete when conditions and confidence line up, which keeps this series from being a total foregone conclusion.

Bangladesh Tour of Australia 2026 Squads

Australia’s squad carries a settled, senior look built around returning bowlers, while Bangladesh’s touring party remains unconfirmed, with selectors expected to draw from their most recent Test group.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Jake Weatherald, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc.

Bangladesh Squad (Probable): Bangladesh have not yet named a touring party for Australia. Based on their most recent Test squad, named for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, the likely core includes: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Hasan Mahmud, Tawhid Hridoy, Amite Hasan, Robiul Haque and Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan.

(Source: Cricket Australia) (Source: Bangladesh Cricket Board)

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Darwin and Mackay Prepare to Host Bangladesh’s First Test Tour of Australia in 23 Years

This series marks something rare, a Bangladesh Test tour of Australia that hasn’t happened in over two decades, arriving with genuine stakes attached through the World Test Championship table. Australia’s settled squad, built around the returning pace trio of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc, starts as clear favourites on paper, but Bangladesh’s touring party remains unofficial and could bring surprises once confirmed. For Australian fans, Darwin offers an easy mid-morning session, while Mackay’s alignment with AEST makes the second Test the simpler watch on the east coast.