ISLAMABAD: Australia will host a Test in Darwin for the first time in more than two decades, while Mackay is preparing to welcome its inaugural Test match after Cricket Australia unveiled the dates for Bangladesh’s two-Test tour in August.
The series opener will take place at Marrara Stadium in Darwin from 13–17 August, followed by the second Test at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from 22–26 August.
It will be the first Test series between Australia and Bangladesh since 2017 and only the second time Bangladesh have toured Australia for a Test series, the previous occasion being in 2003.
A scheduled tour of Bangladesh in mid-2020 was abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two matches will be part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and mark the start of a demanding stretch of red-ball cricket for Australia, who are slated to play at least 20 Tests between August 2024 and July 2025.
Global schedule
Darwin and Mackay both featured during Australia’s white-ball Top End series against South Africa last year. Historically, Darwin has hosted two Tests — against Bangladesh in 2003 and Sri Lanka in 2004.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg pointed to the challenges of an increasingly packed global schedule.
“It is no secret the international calendar is now crowded and we’re fortunate to have world class facilities available in August ensuring we have another window for Test cricket outside summer,” Greenberg said.
The Mackay Test will be Queensland’s only red-ball fixture of the season, with the Gabba absent from the main summer schedule.
New Zealand are set to tour for a four-Test series, with matches planned in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
Uncertainty regarding the Gabba’s long-term future ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games has complicated scheduling, although the venue is expected to feature again before its proposed post-Games demolition.
Ashes
After hosting Bangladesh, Australia will head to South Africa for a three-Test series, accompanied by a white-ball segment that includes ODIs in Zimbabwe.
The home summer will then include a limited-overs tour by England prior to the New Zealand Test series.
Australia are also due to tour India for a five-Test series in January and February, before welcoming England to the MCG in March for a one-off 150th anniversary Test.
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The next away Ashes campaign is scheduled for June and July 2027, potentially preceded by a World Test Championship final if Australia qualify.
Additionally, Australia will travel to Bangladesh in June for a white-ball series featuring ODIs and T20Is.
Australia-Bangladesh Test series schedule
First Test: August 13–17, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 10am (local)
Second Test: August 22–26, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10am (local)
Return of Test cricket to Darwin
The return of Test cricket to Darwin is being viewed as a significant step in Cricket Australia’s broader strategy to take international matches beyond the traditional metropolitan venues. In recent years, the board has increasingly utilised northern Australian venues during the country’s winter months, capitalising on favourable weather conditions to create additional windows in an already congested global calendar.
Marrara Stadium, which last hosted a Test match in 2004 against Sri Lanka, has since been primarily used for limited-overs internationals and domestic fixtures. Its reintroduction as a Test venue underlines confidence in the ground’s upgraded facilities and playing surface. The tropical conditions in Darwin, including heat and humidity, are also expected to provide a distinct challenge for both sides, potentially favouring spin and reverse swing as the match progresses.
For Mackay, the occasion will be historic. Great Barrier Reef Arena has steadily built its reputation by hosting domestic Sheffield Shield matches and white-ball internationals, but staging a Test represents a major milestone for the regional Queensland centre. The move reflects Cricket Australia’s push to expand the footprint of the longest format and engage fans outside the traditional strongholds of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
From a cricketing perspective, the series offers Bangladesh a rare opportunity to compete in Australian conditions in the red-ball format. Their previous Test tour of Australia in 2003 proved challenging, while the two sides’ most recent series in 2017 was held in Bangladesh, where the hosts famously secured a memorable victory in Dhaka. Since then, Bangladesh have continued to develop their pace resources and batting depth, making the upcoming contest an intriguing prospect.
