Darwin, Aug 13: Former Australia captain Steve Smith found himself at the centre of a light-hearted exchange with a spectator during the opening Test against Bangladesh after play was briefly interrupted by an issue involving the sight screen.Smith, who was batting at the time, appeared to request a change to the sight-screen arrangement. As the stoppage continued, a spectator voiced frustration, telling the batter to get on with the game.
The remark was captured on video and subsequently attracted attention on social media, with viewers amused by the blunt response from the stands.The incident came during a difficult innings for Australia, who were dismissed for 198 after choosing to bat first.Smith emerged as Australia’s leading run-scorer, making 71 after receiving an early reprieve when he was dropped on two.
His innings provided some resistance as Australia’s top order struggled to build a substantial total.Travis Head scored 22, Jake Weatherald made 23, while Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed for one.Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud led the attack with a career-best six-wicket haul for 55 runs.
Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed claimed two wickets each as Bangladesh’s fast bowlers accounted for all 10 Australian dismissals.Bangladesh then made a confident start to its reply, reaching 96 for one in 24 overs by the close of play.Mitchell Starc provided Australia’s only breakthrough by dismissing Shadman Islam for 20.
Tanzid Hasan and Mominul Haque then steadied the innings with an unbeaten 60-run partnership.Tanzid ended the day on 32 not out, while Mominul was unbeaten on 35.
Bangladesh therefore finished the opening day only 102 runs behind Australia’s first-innings total with nine wickets still available, leaving the visitors in a strong position going into the next day’s play.
