The celebrations are expected to continue long into the day as Bangladesh savour a truly historic victory. Once the dust settles, their attention will turn towards the second Test, which gets underway on August 22 in Mackay. And here is a sentence we certainly don't say very often — Australia are trailing in a Test series! For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off on behalf of my colleagues Manan Mehta, AkshayaKrishna Polya, Aman and Bishal Mandal. BYE BYE👋
A historic day for Bangladesh cricket! The Bangla Tigers have pulled off the unthinkable, producing a stunning statement performance against the mighty Australians. Ranked 9th in the Test rankings, Bangladesh have hammered the number one-ranked Test side in their own backyard, securing their first-ever Test victory on Australian soil. It is a monumental achievement for the Asian side and one that will be remembered for years to come.
Best Bowling Figures by a Visiting Bowler in their first Test in Australia:
11/160 – Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Melbourne, 1990
11/228 – Maurice Tate (England), Sydney, 1924
9/111 – Hasan Mahmud (Bangladesh), Darwin, 2026, This Match*
Least Matches Taken by a Visiting Team to win their first Test in Australia:
2 – England
3 – South Africa, Bangladesh*
5 – West Indies
7 – Pakistan, New Zealand
12 – India
STAT ATTACK: Bangladesh have recorded their first Test win in Australia, winning on their third attempt. It is also only their second Test victory over Australia in seven meetings, following their 20-run win in Mirpur in 2017.
STAT ATTACK:Australia have lost a home Test to an Asian team other than India for the first time in 31 years. Pakistan were the last to do so, beating Australia in Sydney in November 1995. Since then, Australia had lost seven home Tests to India before Bangladesh ended the 31-year wait for another Asian side.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh Captain):"[On the historic win] Yeah very happy and proud of myself and the way the boys played. Really proud of that and we did a lot of hard work and really happy to win.
[On the emergence of pace bowlers in Bangladesh] Yeah, obviously that is the biggest change in Bangladesh cricket in the Test format. Normally 5-6 years before, the pace bowlers did not want to play Test cricket because we didn't get enough chance to play Test cricket. But last 2-3 years we are playing a lot of Test matches. The boys are getting importance in the Test format. They wanted to play; they wanted to perform because they wanted to be world class. That is the mindset they have there. Especially the senior guys we have, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, they help them to encourage and play Test cricket.
[On the Tanzid Hasan Tamim] Yeah obviously, he is exciting. In his white ball game, he always plays attacking cricket, but in this format, he showed his character. He was very calm and played on the merit of the ball. We all know he has the ability to play Test cricket. As a top order batter, we want someone to create impact and deliver for the team, and he did that in this match.
[Where does this rank in Bangladesh cricket?] Yeah, obviously. This is the biggest win for Bangladesh cricket in any format. We believe in that. Going forward we will do something special in the future.
[Can Bangladesh pull a win in Mackay too?] Yes, we have that evidence. But we need to play good cricket. As I said, before this Test match, we need to play 5 days of good cricket. Again, I am going to say the same thing, 5 days of good cricket needs to be played properly and as we did in this Test match, follow the process session by session. Bowlers did their job; the batters chipped in especially the way the lower middle order batted. So, those are the things we need to play in Mackay."
Pat Cummins (Australia Captain): "(Areas to pinpoint from this defeat) I probably think it was Day 1. I think our preparations were spot on. No excuses as I feel they played really well. The Day 1 wicket was a bit tricky but you obviously need to find a way to bat longer. Yeah, we just couldn't penetrate with the ball.
(Any changes for the 2nd Test) I think every time there is a game like this, you obviously look at match-ups. We just finished this game so we will think about it. We are really good at making comebacks. So, no doubt about it. We will regroup, think together and will look how we can improve.
(On Bangladesh's performance) Yeah, I thought they were really patient and quite disciplined. Once we were behind, it was really hard to get back.
(On Hazlewood & Green) Yeah, both were brilliant in this Test. Joshy hasn't had a great run for injuries in the last couple of years but he is one of the hardest workers in the group. He just showed his class on a wicket which didn't have too much in it, seam wise. To pick up 6 important wickets was a fabulous job. And then yeah, Green's tempo in this innings showed just how good he is. He just needed a couple of them to hang around with him but he was fantastic."
Hasan Mahmud (Player of the Match):"[Does he believe in what has just taken place?] Yeah, I think before the match in the practice sessions we have been doing our best in every session. We keep in our minds that whatever has happened, just be in yourself and follow the process and don't think about the outcome. Whatever happens, we have to play the five days and the results will come.
[Were there specific plans for the Australian batters?] We got some team plans sitting with the team guys and coaches and watching the videos and making plans on how we are going about it. We did the same in the ground.
[On being patient with the ball early on] Yeah, I think, our bowlers have done well with the patience and process they have followed. Just to be on the line and length and keep going with it. The results are here now.
[On the celebrations in Bangladesh] Yeah, obviously, they will be very happy for me and obviously my people in town will be very happy. They will see me and be celebrating."