Cricket Australia has finalised the venues for Bangladesh’s two-Test tour of Australia.
Bangladesh have a special place in the history of Marrara Oval, which first emerged as a Test venue with a match against them. Now, 22 years later, Test cricket is set to return to the Darwin ground once again through a Bangladesh fixture.
It had already been confirmed that both Tests of Bangladesh’s tour next year would be staged in the Northern Territory. Cricket Australia’s chief executive has now confirmed that the matches will be held in Mackay and Darwin.
The series is scheduled for August next year, with the exact dates set to be finalised next month.
Originally, the tour was planned for March 2027, which could have seen Bangladesh play at Australia’s main Test venues. However, to mark 150 years of Test cricket, Australia will play a special one-off Test against England in March. As a result, Bangladesh’s tour has been brought forward to August next year.
Since the Australian summer does not fully begin in July, August and September, international matches during this period are usually hosted in the Northern Territory. Darwin’s journey as a Test venue began in July 2003 with a match between Australia and Bangladesh. Australia then played another Test there against Sri Lanka in July the following year, which remains the most recent Test staged at the ground.
Darwin has hosted four ODIs, all of them against Bangladesh — the first in 2003 and the next in 2008. The most recent international cricket at the venue took place last August, when Australia faced South Africa in a T20I series.
Alongside Darwin, Cairns was once a key venue in the Northern Territory, and Bangladesh have played a Test there as well. In recent years, however, Cairns has fallen behind, while Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena has risen in prominence. Although the ground hosted a match during the 1992 World Cup, it went many years without international cricket.
Following major renovations, the venue has been transformed into a modern stadium. Women’s international cricket is now held there regularly, and men’s international cricket returned last August with an ODI between Australia and South Africa. Bangladesh’s match will mark the Test debut of the 10,000-capacity venue.
