Australia will be hosting Bangladesh for two Test matches in Darwin (August 13) and Mackay (August 22) as part of their 2025-27 World Test Championship obligations.
It will be the first time since July 2003 Bangladesh have played Test cricket in Australia, when losing two Test matches by an innings each in Darwin and Cairns.
Darwin and Mackay successfully staged a winter white-ball series against South Africa last year, marking the return of international cricket to northern Australia, supported by government-funded improvements to bring stadiums up to international standard.
It will be Queensland's only Test match of the season with The Gabba having missed out on New Zealand's four-Test summer tour due to what Cricket Australia sees as a drop in standards for the aging venue.
The series marks Nathan Lyon's return to international cricket following a severe right hamstring injury that required surgical intervention and brought a premature end to his 2025/26 Ashes campaign.
Australia's thumping 4-1 win in that series has them at the top of the 2025-27 World Test Championship table with seven wins from eight games, whilst Bangladesh are in fourth place after they lost a two-match series in Sri Lanka 1-0 and then enjoyed a historic 2-0 away clean sweep of Pakistan in May 2026.
Lyon's return means that the iconic Australian bowling attack of Pat Cummins (33yo), Mitchell Starc (36), Josh Hazlewood (35) and Lyon (38) are set to play together in Test cricket for the 36th time, having won 22 of their 35 Tests together since forming their quartet in the 2017/18 Ashes (D4, L9).
They are complemented by a full strength batting lineup that will see Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Beau Webster compete for the number five and six positions, whilst 37-year-old Victorian Scott Boland has been named as the backup bowler in the squad.
Michael Neser, Todd Murphy and Brendan Doggett are also preparing with the squad as unnamed reserves.
Australia 13-man first Test squad:
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Australia's World Test Championship fixtures:
3-0 away to West Indies, June-July 2025
4-1 at home to England, Nov 2025-Jan 2026
2 Tests at home to Bangladesh, Aug 2026
3 Tests away to South Africa, Oct 2026
4 Tests at home to New Zealand, Dec 2026-Jan 2027
5 Tests away to India, Jan-Mar 2027
Final: June 2027, Lord's
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
