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Cummins' fiery burst pushes Ashes case

Pat Cummins' opening barrage in Dhaka was an exciting glimpse into the pure speed the quick has at his disposal

Pat Cummins' sizzling early burst in conditions teammate Nathan Lyon rates as some of the toughest he's ever encountered has continued the paceman's push for an Magellan Ashes berth this summer.

On a Mirpur pitch touted as slow and spin-friendly, Cummins decimated the hosts' top-order on the opening morning of the first Test with a startling eight-ball, three-wicket barrage.

Quick single: Australia rocked by three late wickets

With Bangladesh reduced to 3-10 and three-quarters of their top four in the sheds, it was the perfect start for Australia and it gave a further glimpse into the pure speed the 24-year-old has at his disposal.

Lyon, who picked up three scalps of his own in a marathon 30-over day, praised Cummins and his pace partner Josh Hazlewood for their toil in the unrelenting Dhaka heat.

Cummins takes three, Shakib and Tamim recover

"Patty's an unbelievable bowler, so is Josh," said the off-spinner, whose second wicket saw him pass Richie Benaud on Australia's Test wickets chart.

"The amount of effort that goes in from those two, to go in and perform like they did in those type of conditions - it was pretty tough out there.

"I'm not going to lie, it was probably one of the toughest days I've had in Test match cricket with the heat and the humidity. 

"I'm pretty proud of those guys and to be able to take 10 wickets on day one after losing the toss and bowling first, as a bowling unit I'm very proud of them."

Finishing the day with 3-63 from 16 overs, Cummins looked every bit the seasoned Test bowler in conditions that offered next to nothing to the fast bowlers.

Quick single: Lyon makes history in Dhaka

It's easy to forget the Penrith-born tearaway is only playing his fourth Test, and still has yet to play one at home.

After six years of comebacks, setbacks and hype for the injury-plagued quick, Cummins appears to have lost none of the out-and-out velocity that stunned South Africa in a player-of-the-match Test debut in 2011.

No panic from Australia: Lyon

His eagerly awaited return for the final two Tests against India earlier this year saw him send down 121 overs, but after coming through unscathed, Cummins is putting his hand up to figure in the first Test at the Gabba in November.

"There were a couple of spells in India on a flat wicket in Ranchi that were pretty impressive," Lyon said when asked if his opening spell on Sunday was as fast as he'd seen on the subcontinent.

"I'd like to see him bowl on a little bit more lively deck in Chittagong that's for sure. 

"He's an impressive bowler, he's an unbelievable athlete and hopefully he'll pull up okay and let rip in the second dig."

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque.


27-31 August First Test, Dhaka


4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong