Bangladeshi cricketers arrive in the city for the next Test

Carrying with them the sweet memories of a 9-wicket victory in Darwin, the Bangladesh cricketers have arrived in Mackay, which is nearly 3,000 kilometers away. The second and final Test of the series against Australia will begin at this venue on August 22.

Chief selector Habibul Bashar Sumon is with the team. With a tiresome voice, he said, "We checked out from the hotel in Darwin at 5:30 AM, and the flight was at 7 AM. The flight wasn't very long, but since there was no direct flight, we had to change flights and wait a long time between them. Altogether, the journey became very long. We arrived at the hotel around 8:30 PM local time; everyone is very tired. It was a very long day."

Regarding the weather in Mackay, which is located slightly southeast of Darwin near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and tends to be a bit cooler, Habibul said, "Actually, we just came from the airport to the hotel, so I didn't really notice the weather much. But from what I could tell, it's a bit cooler than Darwin, not as hot."

The Mackay Stadium near the Great Barrier Reef hosted a match in the 1992 World Cup. After that, in 2025, Australia and South Africa played two ODIs at this venue. Apart from a few women's international matches, no Test has been played here before. The Australia-Bangladesh match will mark the Test debut for Mackay, making this venue Australia's twelfth Test venue.