Bangladesh’s historic Australia triumph

• Historic revenge at that Darwin

Imran Mahmud

Everyone had already given up hope. Al Shahriar Bidyut was the only recognised batsman still fighting. While trying to deal with a googly from Stuart MacGill, Bangladesh’s top-order batsman panicked. Attempting a cross-batted shot, he edged the ball up towards midwicket. The bowler himself ran quickly and took the catch. The fight was over. Bangladesh left the field with their heads bowed.

No, you are not reading it wrong. This was what Bangladesh’s Test cricket had looked like in Australia before. Even the Australians expected this same Bangladesh from them this time. Otherwise, would the country’s media and even captain Pat Cummins have dared to taunt them by saying the Test would be over in three days?

But what was the significance of Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s pre-match declaration that “the Bangladesh of 23 years ago and this Bangladesh are not the same”? Yes, Bangladesh won. Bangladesh won in Australia. Bangladesh defeated Australia in a Test in Australia, taking sweet revenge. And that too in Darwin.

There is only one difference. Australia won that July 2003 match in three days; this August, Bangladesh won in three and a half days. Yesterday, Bangladesh won the first match of the two-Test series by a massive nine-wicket margin.

Nearly two decades ago, Steve Waugh shook hands with Khaled Mahmud Sujon while holding the match-winning wicket under his arm. This time, he witnessed the opposite scene. Cameron Green, who scored a century, shook hands with Mominul Haque, who struck the historic boundary off Beau Webster, with a dejected expression. He saw veteran Mushfiqur Rahim’s wild celebration on the boundary line, Bangladesh’s cricketers giving each other high-fives throughout the dugout, and the rare sight of coach Phil Simmons embracing captain Shanto with a broad smile. And thousands of spectators who believed in the red-and-green flag roared with joy even at a small-town stadium like Darwin. All these scenes demonstrate the significance of this victory.

The magnitude of Bangladesh’s nine-wicket victory over Australia on their home soil can be understood by looking at history. Sri Lanka have never defeated Australia in a Test on Australian soil. Pakistan last beat Australia in Australia in 1995. Among Asian teams, only India have defeated Australia in Australia in this century. Bangladesh have now joined that list. The clear outline of this transformation emerges when Bangladesh’s statistics over their first two decades of Test cricket are compared with their performance over the past three and a half years. In the first 20 years after gaining Test status, Bangladesh played 119 matches and won only 14. The memories from that period were filled far more with pain and embarrassment than joy.

Yet that picture has changed significantly in recent times. Bangladesh have won 13 of their 41 Tests over the past five and a half years. Looking at a more recent period, Bangladesh have won 12 of their 24 Tests over the past three and a half years. And along this journey has come the historic achievement of defeating Australia in Australia—a feat that anyone would place at the very top in terms of achievement, without debate. Captain Shanto also considers it so.

Bangladesh defeated New Zealand in a Test on their home soil in 2022. That victory, achieved in difficult conditions, was also historic. Even so, in the cricketing world, Australia is Australia. Perhaps considering all this, Shanto regards this as the biggest victory in Bangladesh cricket. “This is Bangladesh’s biggest victory in any format so far. We want to do something even more special in the future,” he said.

Bangladesh played as a team in such a victory. The captain himself led from the front. Getting the opportunity to bat in the first innings, he scored 84 runs. With his excellent leadership throughout the match, he earned praise from Ricky Ponting, David Warner and others in the commentary box. Shanto is therefore proud of his own performance as well. “I am extremely happy with this victory. I am proud of my performance and also proud of the way the boys played. We have worked very hard,” he said.

After such a victory, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman called the Bangladesh players while they were still on the field. He spoke to the cricketers through a video call on team manager Nafis Iqbal’s phone. Shanto also revealed what they discussed with the Prime Minister at the press conference. “We spoke with the honourable Prime Minister. He congratulated us. He also asked about our physical condition and whether we were doing well.”

The cricketers received congratulations from others as well. The captain said, “Our board president called and congratulated us. He was very happy. Our Home Minister also called us. We spoke with him and he congratulated us.” Najmul also described the moment of victory as special. “These moments were special for us. It felt good, and I am happy that everyone is enjoying this victory. I think the people of the country are very happy.” This happiness will multiply many times over if Bangladesh can celebrate another victory in the second and final Test, which begins in Mackay on August 22.