AUS vs BAN 2026: 'That's the way forward' - Josh Hazlewood credits Bangladesh's bowling

Australia trailed Bangladesh by 67 runs after the first innings at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, with the visitors having bowled out the home side for 198. Bangladesh's disciplined bowling performance in their first innings proved decisive, as they took all 10 Australian wickets for only the second time in Test history. The match remained finely poised heading into Australia's second innings, with both teams still harbouring hopes of victory.

Josh Hazlewood, Australia's pace spearhead, acknowledged the quality of Bangladesh's bowling attack and the manner in which they executed their plans. Speaking after Bangladesh's first-innings performance, Hazlewood offered insight into what made their bowling so effective and what Australia needed to do in response.

"I think the way Bangladesh went about their bowling just then, it was pretty tight, they didn’t give much away, and found a few results, so that’s the way forward, I think," Hazlewood said as quoted by The Daily Star.

Hazlewood highlighted how Bangladesh maximised the conditions available to them during the opening day of the Test. He noted that the visitors' length and discipline had been key factors in their success, particularly in the early stages when the pitch offered the most assistance. The Australian quick recognised that Bangladesh's approach to bowling in those initial phases had set the tone for their dominant first-innings performance.

"They bowled very well to the conditions. Looking back, it probably got the most out of the wicket in the first half of Day 1, which they maximised. I thought they bowled a nice full length," Hazlewood said.

Australia faced the challenge of erasing a 67-run deficit with two days remaining in the match. Hazlewood assessed the pitch conditions and outlined the strategy required for Australia to build pressure on Bangladesh's batters. He recognised that the surface remained conducive to batting but believed that disciplined bowling could force mistakes and shift momentum in Australia's favour.

"The pitch is still very good to bat on. I think the chances are probably slowing the scoring rate and forcing a mistake that way is probably the way to get the wickets. We’re still, I think, 70 behind. Once we tick those off hopefully we’re still four down and we can start to build the pressure," Hazlewood said.

Despite the deficit, Hazlewood remained confident that Australia could still secure victory if they batted deep into the final days. He pointed to the possibility of the pitch deteriorating on the final day, which could create opportunities for the Australian bowling attack to take wickets in quick succession.

"If we can bat deep into tomorrow and potentially even the whole day maybe, there’s always opportunities to take 10 wickets on the final day if the wicket is a little bit up and down. So a win is still definitely in our mind," Hazlewood said.