Cricket

Mackay locked in to host first Test match

Feb 25, 2026

Jake Weatherald could become the first Northern Territorian to play Test cricket in the NT in August -AAP Image

Mackay is locked in to host its first-ever Test match when Bangladesh tours Australia for the first time in more than 20 years.

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For months, Mackay and Darwin had been speculated as the venues for the August series before Cricket Australia confirmed the schedule on Wednesday.

The series kicks off the busiest 12-month period on record for the Australians, who will play up to 21 matches between the opener in Darwin and the end of the 2027 Ashes.

Bangladesh last played Test cricket in Australia in 2003, losing that series 2-0.

Mackay's Great Barrier Reef Arena will become Australia's 12th Test match venue when the second match begins on August 22.

It will be the only Test match hosted in Queensland in the 2026/27 summer, with the Gabba overlooked for New Zealand's subsequent four-match series.

Mackay has hosted three men's One Day Internationals, most recently when South Africa toured last August, as well as an Under 19s Test match against India last October.

Darwin, which hosts the opener from August 13, held the most recent of its previous two Test matches in 2004.

Incumbent opening batter Jake Weatherald could become the first born-and-raised Northern Territorian to play Test cricket in the Territory if selected.