‘Free burgers! Free hot chips’: Two-day Test cricket is drab and damaging to the game

August 23, 2026 — 6:14pm

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Mackay: ”Ok then, we can go to the pub early.” The laconic voice from below the makeshift press box rather summed up the sense of anti-climax as Nathan Lyon pouched two wickets to end the second Test only three balls into its fifth session.

Ten minutes before the scheduled close of play on day two, the only cricket being played in Mackay was by the Harrup Park general manager and his staff, who enjoyed a lighthearted game on a surface that had reaped 30 wickets in 750 total balls: the fourth shortest completed Test match in history.

For Australia, this was a pleasingly clinical display with the ball and in the field. Mitchell Starc, captain Pat Cummins and Lyon bowled with speed, venom and guile respectively to snuff out Bangladesh – Josh Hazlewood was also useful, lacking only a more generous helping in the wickets column.

Of course there are still multiple question marks over an Australian batting lineup that cobbled first innings tallies of 198 and 210 across these two games. In particular, Marnus Labuschagne will be nervously awaiting the makeup of the Test squad soon to be named for South Africa.

In parallel, there........

© The Age