Australia will begin aAustralia rare home winter Test series against Bangladesh on Thursday, with the two-match contest marking Australia’s first winter Tests in more than two decades and Bangladesh’s first tour of Australia since 2003, Reuters reported on August 12, 2026.
The matches will be played in Australia’s tropical north, beginning at Darwin’s Marrara Oval before moving to Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena on August 22.
The unusual series has been shaped by Australia’s crowded international sporting calendar.
Stadiums in Australia’s southern cities are largely occupied by Australian rules football during the winter, prompting Cricket Australia to take Test cricket north.
Marrara Oval will host its first Test since 2004, while the Mackay venue will become Australia’s 12th Test ground.
The series was initially scheduled for March 2027 but was brought forward to make room for Australia’s 150th-anniversary Test against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It will be only the fourth Test series between Australia and Bangladesh.
Australia go into the series as strong favourites. Pat Cummins’ side sits at the top of the World Test Championship standings and recently defeated England 4-1 in the Ashes.
Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are also all fit and available together for the first time in more than a year.
Bangladesh, however, have previously proved capable of upsetting Australia.
Their only Test victory over Australia came in 2017, when they defeated Steve Smith’s side by 20 runs in Mirpur. Australia have won the other five Tests between the two nations dating back to 2003.
The unusual location of the series has also required financial support from Australian authorities.
Cricket Australia’s chief of cricket, James Allsopp, said the organisation appreciated government assistance in taking the matches to northern Australia.
We’re getting some support from the government, which we really appreciate.” Allsopp said.
Allsopp explained that staging major cricket matches in the north comes with additional costs.
Obviously, when you take content further north, it does cost us more to deliver those matches.” He explained.
The Northern Territory and Queensland governments are providing public funding for the series.
Cricket Australia is also hoping supporters, including members of Australia’s large Bangladeshi communities, will travel north to attend the matches.
Despite the financial challenges, Allsopp said taking international cricket to different parts of the country could help expand the sport’s reach.
We generally feel like cricket is Australia’s national sport … and international cricket still is the premium.” Allsopp said.
He added that bringing international matches to less traditional cricket markets could benefit the game.
If we can get that to all corners of Australia, we think it’s a great platform to help us grow the game” Allsopp added.
For Australia, the Bangladesh series is the beginning of a demanding period that could involve at least 20 Tests over the next year.
For Bangladesh, another victory over Australia would rank among the country’s most significant test achievements.
