DHAKA, Aug 2, 2026 (BSS)—The long-standing opening batting problems left Bangladesh in a position of embarrassment ahead of their historical two-match Test series in Australia.

The Bangladesh team headed to the Down Under, knowing that a good opening partnership is imperative to give them some confidence in an effort to earn a respectable result. 

However, the stat showed that the openers have been the vulnerable link for the team with no openers registering a century in a World Test Championship match in last four years. 

Bangladesh have named Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Soumya Sarkar as their opening options for the Australia tour, although none featured in the team's previous Test against Zimbabwe. 

Tanzid has played only one Test, while Soumya returns to the format after a five-year absence. Shadman remains the side's preferred opener despite inconsistent returns.

The lack of stability at the top has been a persistent problem for Bangladesh in the World Test Championship. The last Bangladeshi opener to score a century in the competition was Zakir Hasan against India nearly four years ago. 

Since then, Zakir has failed to register a half-century in his last 13 Test innings, which eventually resulted in his axe from the team.

Since Tamim Iqbal retired from Test cricket, Bangladesh have tried seven different opening batters. Across 21 World Test Championship matches during that period, the openers have failed to score a century and managed only 10 half-centuries—the fewest among all Test Championship teams.

Bangladesh's opening partnership has averaged just 20.17 runs per innings since the start of 2023, making it the lowest among all World Test Championship nations. The team is also the only side whose openers have not scored a century in the competition during that period.

Mahmudul Hasan, who scored a century against Ireland outside the World Test Championship, was omitted from the Australia squad after a poor run of form that included four single-digit scores in his last six Test innings.

Speaking before the team's departure, Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto acknowledged the criticism directed at the openers but said the role remains one of the most demanding in cricket.

"There is a lot of talk about opening because they do not perform consistently. But opening is also very difficult. Sometimes you have to bat with only a few overs left in the day, and sometimes on a damp wicket," Shanto told reporters.

He added that modern fast bowling, with its combination of pace, swing and bounce, has made opening more challenging than ever, and stressed that Bangladesh's openers would have to overcome those difficulties to give the team a competitive platform.

Bangladesh will face an Australian pace attack expected to feature captain Pat Cummins alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, presenting a stern test for the visitors' inexperienced opening combination.