Mackay: Australia will look to level the two-Test series with Bangladesh as early as Sunday, after a slice of Bangladeshi history ended the hosts’ first innings in the first session of day two with a commanding 146-run lead.

It took a toe-crushing yorker from Shoriful Islam to end Cameron Green’s valiant lone hand with the bat, trapped in front on 67 as the left-arm seam bowler became Bangladesh’s first quick to claim seven wickets in a Test innings (7-48).

That milestone followed his nation’s first Test win on Australian soil in the first clash in Darwin.

Green had looked composed throughout his innings until receiving the Shoriful peach, playing fluently until stumps on day one as wickets fell around him during a dramatic collapse of 5-30 from Steve Smith’s dismissal for 42.

The 27-year-old all-rounder appeared on track to back up his second innings 104 in the first Test in Darwin with a fourth career ton, playing one powerful cut shot and another elegant off-drive for boundaries inside the first three overs of day two at Great Barrier Reef Arena.

When Green fell, Nathan Lyon ensured Australia moved beyond 200 – a well-timed on drive to the fence, and pull shot over it, featuring in his unbeaten 32 before Josh Hazlewood was out caught for six attempting to take on spinner Taijul Islam, ending Australia’s stand at 210.

But Bangladesh were in early disarray when they came out to bat for the second time. While there were no repeats of Starc’s first-ball scalp on day one, Tanzid Hasan driving him down the ground to the boundary, the veteran quick did cause carnage in his second over.

First, he caught Shadman Islam high on the bat with a sharp, straightening delivery, with Marnus Labuschagne diving forward from point for the catch. Next ball, the left-arm spearhead was on a hat-trick for the second time this Test, as Mominul Haque shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back and knocked out his off stump, to leave Bangladesh reeling at 2-5.

There were 18 wickets to fall on day one, Starc setting the tone by sealing his five-wicket haul after just 43-minutes, finishing with figures of 6-12 as the visitors struggled to contend with the extra bounce and lively green pitch.

Despite the carnage, Starc said he had no issues with the pitch on Saturday.

“People will sit there and go ’18 wickets, it’s a bad wicket’. I think it’s a very good day one wicket, I think it’s probably played very similar to a Gabba wicket – you see a little bit of tennis ball bounce early at the Gabba, and likewise today,” Starc said.

“It was a pretty helter-skelter day of cricket, but I’d say some good bowling led to 18 wickets, as opposed to the wicket.”

Should Starc and his fellow quicks roll Bangladesh in similar fashion, there will be no further chances for Labuschagne, Beau Webster and Matt Renshaw to push their case for inclusion in the forthcoming series in South Africa.

While Renshaw (eight) would be expected to be given a reprieve, having only just been brought into the side to replace axed opener Jake Weatherald, both Labuschagne and Webster have struggled for a more prolonged period.

Webster, to his credit, had not put a foot wrong in his career until this two-Test series. However, he has managed just 17 runs across three knocks – including a first innings duck in Mackay.

Labuschagne’s long-term struggles, meanwhile, have been well-documented – failing to score a century since July 2023, while averaging just 29.69 since the start of that year following his cheap dismissal for four on Saturday.