Everything you need to know as Australia hosts Bangladesh in the Top End

Australia is set to host Bangladesh in a rare Test series this August, with two matches scheduled in Darwin and Mackay. The first Test begins on August 13 at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, while the second Test starts on August 22 at Harrup Park in Mackay. This will be the first time Bangladesh has toured Australia for a Test series in 23 years.

The match times vary slightly across Australia, with a 10:00am AEST start in Mackay, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory. In Darwin, the match starts at 8:30am.

Darwin's Marrara Oval will host just its third men's Test match, its first since Sri Lanka visited in July 2004. Australia has a 100% winning record in Tests in Darwin, having defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 132 runs in 2003 and Sri Lanka by 149 runs in 2004. They have also won four ODIs in Darwin against Bangladesh. In contrast, Mackay's Harrup Park has never hosted a men's Test match before. The ground hosted a youth Test match between Australia and India's under-19 sides last year, won by India by seven wickets.

Bangladesh, who have lost only one of their last five Test matches, will be missing key players Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, and Taijul Islam due to injuries. Australia, on the other hand, will field a strong squad with front-line bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon returning from injury. Bangladesh's captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, expressed respect for Australia's chosen full-strength team.