DHAKA, Aug 21, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh oozed with confidence to complete a series sweep as they take on Australia in the second and final Test at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay tomorrow (Saturday).

The match starts at 6AM, Bangladesh time.

Bangladesh won the first Test in Darwin by nine wickets after dominating Australia in such way that has never been seen on Australian soil in history.

Thereby they take 1-0 lead and have no chance to loss the seriea. Even an Australian victory would level the series, still giving Bangladesh their best result in the history.

So the Australian will face the utmost pressure, knowing that another defeat will give them a whitewash for the first time in 139 years. They had last concede a series sweep at home in 1887 at the hands of England.

The immense pressure on Australia is believed to go in Bangladesh's favour.

But Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto sees the second Test against Australia as a major opportunity for his batting unit to gain confidence by scoring runs against one of the world's best bowling attacks.

Australia's pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, along with spinner Nathan Lyon, will pose another stern challenge for the Bangladesh batters.

Shanto, however, believes facing such a high-quality attack can be hugely beneficial for his team.

"Personally, before coming here, I really wanted to face this kind of bowling attack. I have always believed that if we can score runs against this kind of bowling attack, then we can score runs against any bowling attack," Shanto said at the pre-match press conference today.

Bangladesh produced an impressive batting display in the opening Test in Darwin, scoring 426 in their first innings and taking a 228-run lead over Australia, which was key in their stunning victory.

Shanto knows maintaining that performance in Mackay will be a major challenge, but he prefers to view it as an opportunity.

"It is an opportunity and a big challenge for us as a batting unit. When you score runs against this kind of team, it gives you a lot of confidence whenever you face similar conditions or a similar bowling attack in the future," he said.

The Bangladesh captain expects the Mackay pitch to offer more bounce than the surface in Darwin. However, he believes the team has prepared adequately for those conditions.

"I also think there will be a little more extra bounce here than in Darwin. Before coming here, we prepared for this kind of bouncy track. We also had a series against Zimbabwe before coming here, where the wickets were almost similar," Shanto said.

Bangladesh's batters have also worked on handling the additional bounce during their recent net sessions, giving Shanto confidence ahead of the Test.

"I hope the batters have worked on their skills during the last few days of net sessions. I think they will be able to handle the extra bounce," he said.

Stat showed Bangladesh have played seven Tests against Australia, winning now twice-a 20-run victory in Mirpur in 2017 and most recently in Darwin l.

They lost the other five, including both Tests during their previous tour of Australia in 2003. Three of those defeats came by an innings.

Bangladesh however could tinker the squad despite winning the first Test in an effort to accommodate Shoriful Islam into the playing XI.

Australia meanwhile called up Matt Renshaw in place of Jake Weatherad as they look to avoid series sweep for the first time after 139 years.

Squad:

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Amite Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice Captain), Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Liton Das, Shoriful Islam

Australia: Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Matt Renshaw.