Australia choose to bat as Bangladesh unleash Ebadot in Darwin Test

Cummins opts to set the tone with the bat, while Bangladesh bring Ebadot Hossain into the XI for their first Test in Australia in 23 years

Australia have won the toss and elected to bat first against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the series in Darwin, with conditions offering some assistance to the seamers early in the day.

Pat Cummins opted to take first use of the surface despite a noticeable covering of grass and moisture on the pitch. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto appeared comfortable with the decision, knowing his bowlers could potentially exploit the conditions with the new ball.

Australia bring back their premier attack

Australia have assembled their leading Test bowling combination for the opening match, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood all included.

The hosts will begin their innings with Travis Head and Jake Weatherald, while Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith occupy the next two positions.

Australia have also selected both Cameron Green and Beau Webster, giving the XI additional all-round options.

The combination will be tested immediately if Bangladesh's seamers can extract movement from the surface during the opening session.

Bangladesh hand Ebadot a recall

Bangladesh have made a significant selection call by bringing Ebadot Hossain into the side as their third fast bowler.

Ebadot gets the nod ahead of Khaled Ahmed, joining Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud in the pace attack.

Bangladesh are without two of their leading quicks, with Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam unavailable for the opening Test. Shoriful, however, has been declared fit and is expected to be available for the second Test in Mackay.

The visitors will therefore rely heavily on their bowling attack to keep Australia under pressure on a surface that could offer early assistance.

Litton Das returns

There is also a major boost for Bangladesh with the return of Litton Das.

The wicketkeeper-batter missed their previous Test against Zimbabwe because of a calf injury but has recovered in time to feature in Darwin.

Litton adds considerable experience and batting depth to a Bangladesh middle order that will face Australia's formidable pace attack.

Bangladesh's batting line-up begins with Tanzid Hasan and Shadman Islam, followed by Mominul Haque, captain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim.

Bangladesh return to Australia after 23 years

This is Bangladesh's first Test on Australian soil since 2003, making the series a significant moment for the visitors.

They arrive with confidence after a strong recent run in Test cricket, although their preparation was disrupted by a dramatic 54 all out against a Cricket Australia XI in their warm-up fixture.

Shanto has urged his players to put that performance behind them and focus on handling the extra bounce expected from Australia's pitches.

With the conditions potentially favouring the new ball, Bangladesh will hope their seamers can make early inroads before Australia's powerful batting order settles.

Playing XIs

Australia: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.

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