Aussies v Bangladesh: Reasons to get excited

It's Australia's first Test tour of Bangladesh in 11 years

Australia last visited the subcontinent nation for a Test series in 2006, when Ricky Ponting’s team claimed a 2-0 series victory and Jason Gillespie memorably hit a double century after being sent in as nightwatchman. And while Australia were scheduled to visit Bangladesh in October 2015, only for the tour to be postponed at the last minute by security concerns. This time around, Australia will arrive in Bangladesh on August 18 ahead of their first hit out of the tour – a two-day warm-up match four days later in Fatullah. The first Test in Dhaka will then get underway on August 27. They’ll also meet a much-improved Bangladesh team to the one which turned out in 2006 – more on that below.

A final Ashes audition

Believe it or not, the Ashes is just over three months away, with the two Tests in Bangladesh the final opportunity for Australia's players to strut their stuff in Baggy Green. While the Sheffield Shield season provides another chance at first-class level, there's nothing quite like the real thing. Injuries to Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson mean Pat Cummins and Jackson Bird could impress selectors ahead of England's visit, with the third paceman's spot beside Josh Hazlewood and Starc set to be contested by a hot field. Meanwhile, the middle order looks to have a spot or two up for grabs; only Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb look to have shored up their places, with Usman Khawaja hoping to return at No.3, and allrounders Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright and Mitchell Marsh - who is expected to return from shoulder surgery in time for the home summer - all hopeful of a berth at No.6. And with Bangladesh set to produce spin-friendly wickets, some standout performances from Ashton Agar could put pressure on Nathan Lyon for the home summer.

Bangladesh are on the up

Bangladesh may sit ninth on the ICC’s Test team rankings, but recent strong results on home soil mean they have set their sights firmly on beating Australia in both Tests. The hosts are hoping to build on a successful 12-month period that’s seen them record their maiden Test wins over England and Sri Lanka, while in June they reached the Champions Trophy semi-finals. While they have yet to transform their one-day success into consistent results in the longer form of the game, their fighting series against England last October, which saw them narrowly defeated by 22 runs in the first Test before they romped to a 108-run victory in the second, will fill them with confidence on home soil. "Success will be to win away from home and beating teams above us," Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said last week. "The progress for us is to maintain this success. We have lot of areas to improve, so we are looking at consistency.  We have made some progress in Test cricket. Now we have the game plan of winning in the subcontinent. We want to win the two Tests against Australia.”

There's a lot at stake in the Test rankings

Australia sit in third position on the ICC’s Test team rankings, having not played the longest form of the game since their 2-1 defeat to India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. But a series defeat to Bangladesh could have a major impact on Steve Smith’s team – they could drop as low as seventh, should they be defeated 2-0 and results of other series go against them. A drawn series would see Australia drop to No.5, but even a 2-0 result in Australia’s favour might not be enough for them to retain third spot – they would still drop to fourth if England whitewash the West Indies in their upcoming three-match series.

Australia's Asian issue

Australia's 2-1 series defeat in India in February-March was a valiant performance from Smith's side, however it didn't erase an unenviable record in Asia. The Australians have lost their past four series in Asia, losing 11 of 13 Tests with just one win. Their last series victory came in Michael Clarke's first series as Test captain, when they beat Sri Lanka 1-0 across three Tests in August 2011. More happily for the men in Baggy Green, they did win their one and only Test series in Bangladesh previously; a 2-0 triumph under Ricky Ponting in March-April 2006. The squad travels to Darwin on Friday for a week-long camp, where they'll acclimatise to the heat and begin planning.

The Bull v The Fizz

It's a Test match battle between two Indian Premier League teammates: Australia's David Warner and Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman. In the IPL, the two come together under the common banner of Sunrisers Hyderabad, where Warner captains the young fast bowler known as 'The Fizz'. The Australian was effusive in his praise of the left-armer in last year's tournament, labelling him "a quality talent" due largely to his excellent variety. To date, he has only played four Tests, but has recently been working with national team bowling coach and West Indies legend Courtney Walsh, who has assisted him with his action following a shoulder injury. Warner meanwhile, has not played Test cricket in Bangladesh, and averages 30.38 in 13 Tests in Asia – well below his career mark of 47.42.

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 PRELIMINARY SQUAD: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Liton Kumar Das, Mominul Haque, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Subhashish Roy, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sanjamul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mohammad Saifuddin, Anamul Haque, Abul Hasan Raju, Al Amin Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Muktar Ali, Tanbir Haider, Saqlain Sajib, Shafiul Islam.

FIXTURES

18 August Australia arrive

22-23 August Tour match,Fatullah

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong