AUS vs BAN: Bangladesh to tour Australia after 18 years; full schedule, timings, venue

International Test cricket will return to the Australian city of Darwin for the first time in over two decades in August, organisers said Wednesday as they unveiled the schedule for an upcoming series against Bangladesh.

Cricket Australia said the first of two Tests against Bangladesh would kick off on August 13 in the Northern Territory capital, the first such match there since July 2004 when they hosted Sri Lanka.

It will also be Bangladesh’s first tour of Australia since 2004, when it played three ODIs. losing all of them.

The second Test from August 22-26 will be played in Mackay in the eastern state of Queensland.

The Tests will be the Australian men’s first since thrashing England 4-1 in an Ashes series that wrapped up in January.

Australia and Bangladesh will play Tests after nearly a decade, with the last match played in Chittagong in 2017, which the Aussies won by seven wickets.

After the Bangladesh series, Australia will head to South Africa in October for three Test matches against the hosts in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town.

(with inputs from AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026