Australia’s batting numbers have dropped, but that doesn’t make this Bangladesh series a soft target. Steve Smith tops the current group at 46.90, a mark that would have been mid-table during the 2000s. Only four batters in the squad have cleared 40 since 2022, yet Pat Cummins’ side keeps winning regardless. Darwin and Mackay host a Bangladesh side missing two frontline seamers, and Australia’s plan doesn’t hinge on rebuilding those old batting numbers. It hinges on a bowling attack this touring side has never faced.
Australia’s Batting Numbers Have Fallen Sharply
From 2022 to 2026, no Australian batter topped Steve Smith’s average of 46.90, a number that would have sat mid-table during the golden era. Only four players in the current squad crossed 40 across those four years, and the group managed just 40 Test centuries between them in that stretch. Head coach Andrew McDonald and analyst Tom Body built a direct comparison between this generation and the 2001-2004 side, and the gap it exposed wasn’t small.
McDonald traces it to conditions rather than talent. Spin overs have dropped sharply in domestic cricket, and seam bowlers now average under 20 with 100-plus wickets apiece. Not one batter in the Shield since 2021 has averaged above 50 with a minimum of 500 runs, and that squeeze has followed straight through to the Test side.
Australia Batting Averages Bangladesh Test Series 2026
The scale of the drop shows up clearly once the two eras sit side by side. Six of Steve Waugh’s batters, including Waugh himself, averaged above 50 between 2001 and 2004. Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden each averaged 63 in that span and combined for 33 centuries between them. Smith’s 46.90 is comfortably the best of the current group, and only four teammates have managed even 40.
Australian Test Batters Individual Averages 2022-2026
Batter | Average | Matches |
|---|---|---|
Steve Smith | 44.52 | 39 |
Travis Head | 44.20 | 38 |
Usman Khawaja | 41.54 | 36 |
Marnus Labuschagne | 35.80 | 40 |
Cameron Green | 32.75 | 37 |
Jake Weatherald | 22.33 | 5 |
The numbers above confirm how tight the group sits behind Smith. Khawaja retired after the 2025-26 Ashes, and Weatherald’s figure comes from just his debut series that summer.
Golden Era Batters Outscored Today’s Squad
Yet Australia keep winning at a similar rate regardless of the averages. Cummins’ side has won 29 of 45 Tests from 2022 to 2026, close to the Waugh-Ponting era’s 36 wins from 51 matches. The 2025-26 Ashes proved the point again: Australia won that series 4-1, with Travis Head leading the way on 629 runs.
Aggressive batting and a pace attack built for results have replaced raw averages as the thing that actually wins Tests for this group.
Bangladesh Arrive Short-Handed for the Tour
The series opens on 13 August at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, running through the 17th, before the second Test at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from 22 to 26 August. It is Bangladesh’s first Test tour of Australia in 23 years, and Mackay hosts its first-ever Test. Darwin has staged only two previous Tests, both Australian wins, including a 2003 innings where Bangladesh were bowled out for 97 before Australia declared at 407 for 7.
Bangladesh travel having swept Pakistan 2-0 at home in March, with Mushfiqur Rahim their leading scorer on 253 runs in that series. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto averages 34.05 in Tests, and his side arrives without pace bowlers Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam for the opener. Soumya Sarkar returns after five years away from the format to fill the gap at the top of the order.
Bowling Depth Still Defines Australia’s Edge
Australia sit atop the World Test Championship 2025-27 table with seven wins from eight, a points percentage of 87.50. They have already claimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and two Ashes series this cycle, and reached the 2025 WTC final, all while batting in the mid-30s.
Bangladesh lost by an innings and 132 runs the last time they played here, and Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood remain the bigger threat regardless of the top order. Boland has taken 132 wickets at 16.78 since 2021, and that trio is exactly why the Australia batting averages Bangladesh Test series 2026 storyline undersells this side. The bowling will settle this contest.
Does a bowling attack this good make Australia’s batting dip irrelevant against Bangladesh, or will thin depth catch up with them eventually? Share your take in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are Australia’s Test batting averages so low right now?
Tougher domestic conditions are the biggest driver. Seam bowlers in the Sheffield Shield now average under 20 with 100-plus wickets each, which has pushed batting numbers down since 2022.
Who has the best batting average in Australia’s current squad?
Steve Smith leads the group at 46.90 since 2022. Travis Head sits just behind him and was the standout performer in the 2025-26 Ashes with 629 runs.
Where is the Bangladesh vs Australia Test series being played?
The Tests are in Darwin and Mackay. Marrara Stadium hosts the opener from 13 to 17 August, while Mackay stages its first-ever Test from 22 to 26 August.
Which Australian bowlers pose the biggest threat to Bangladesh?
Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood lead the attack. Scott Boland adds further depth, having taken 132 wickets at an average of 16.78 since 2021.
How many Tests has Bangladesh played in Australia before?
Bangladesh have played two Tests in Australia, losing both. Their only previous tour came in 2003, when they lost by an innings and 132 runs at this same ground in Darwin.