Australia hot favourites as squads confirmed for Bangladesh Test series
Australia and Bangladesh have finalised their squads ahead of next week’s two-Test series, with Pat Cummins’ side installed as overwhelming favourites to continue their dominance at home.
Betting sites have Australia at just 1.04 to win the opening Test in Darwin, with Bangladesh paying 17.00 to cause a major upset. A draw is also rated a 17.00 chance, underlining expectations that the hosts should control proceedings from the opening day.
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The market is equally one-sided in the Draw No Bet market, where Australia is priced at 1.01, while Bangladesh is a 13.00 outsider.
Australia’s 13-man squad features captain Pat Cummins alongside Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne, with Jake Weatherald earning a recall. Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis and Beau Webster complete the touring party.
Bangladesh will be led by Najmul Hossain Shanto and includes experienced campaigners Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mominul Haque, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed as they attempt to secure a rare Test victory on Australian soil.
While Australia dominates the head-to-head betting, bookmakers expect several established stars to contend for Player of the Match honours. Steve Smith heads the market at 7.75, ahead of Cummins and Starc at 8.00, with Travis Head at 8.50. Labuschagne is rated an 11.00 chance after declaring he is entering the series refreshed following the longest uninterrupted break of his professional career.
The Queenslander believes an eight-week training block has allowed him to rebuild his game from the ground up after two lean years by his lofty standards.
Rather than searching for quick technical fixes between tours, Labuschagne said he had the time to return to the basics, spending countless hours refining his technique and batting shape before Australia’s busy home summer.
The 32-year-old averaged more than 72 during his prolific run between 2019 and 2021 but has managed just 26.61 across his past 20 Tests since the 2023 Ashes, with no century since Old Trafford that year.
Labuschagne admitted the relentless international schedule had previously left little opportunity to implement lasting technical adjustments, forcing him into short-term solutions that never fully addressed the underlying issues.
He said the extended break had helped restore confidence in his natural game, allowing him to focus less on chasing milestones and more on trusting his preparation and processes at the crease.
“There’s been times where I’ve tried to get things in order, but I just run out of time to fully commit to those small changes – if that’s with your grip or your stance or whatever – and you revert back to what you’ve been doing and you kind of never get off that cycle until you have a little gap,” he said.
“So it’s been really nice to go back and find my best form and what it looks like for me to play at my best. The preparation has been great for that, and hopefully we can see the results off the back of all the hard work.”
Australia’s series against Bangladesh begins at Marrara Stadium in Darwin on August 13 before shifting to Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena for the second Test from August 22.
Australia v Bangladesh fixtures and squads
First Test: August 13-17, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 10am (local)
Second Test: August 22-26, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10am (local)
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Bangladesh squad (first Test): Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vc), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan
