Bangladesh’s ‘biggest win in any format’ after historic Australia Test victory

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s reaction said it all after Bangladesh completed an historic first Test victory in Australia.

The touring side stunned Australia in Darwin by completing a nine-wicket win in four days. Beating the No 1-ranked Test team will rank as one of cricket’s greatest upsets.

“This is the biggest win for Bangladesh in any format,” Shanto said. “We want to do something special in the future and I’m very happy — proud of myself and the way we played.”

The result has, unsurprisingly, not gone down well in Australia.

Former Test captain Ricky Ponting pulled no punches with his assessment of their faltering batting line-up on the morning of the fourth day.

“Look, I’m the last one who wants to make a change,” he told host broadcaster Channel 7. “It has to get to a bad point before I start saying you ought to leave somebody out, but there had been enough evidence to suggest they weren’t going to lose anything by starting that regeneration, by maybe bringing in another opener, maybe someone at No 7.

“It just feels a little shaky and uncertain. And why are we in this position? Australian cricket is so strong. It doesn’t need to be in that position.”

Former Australia Test bowler Trent Copeland, working as a pundit for SEN Radio, went even further. He said, “The players themselves will be distraught with how this has gone.

“I also think there is an element of they won’t be sitting in this like the world is over either, but this is a completely unacceptable result for Australia.

“When you are in your own conditions, I don’t care about the preparation, I don’t care who’s playing for Australia. You cannot lose to Bangladesh in Australia in a Test match.

“I’m hesitant to go all in on it, but this is an embarrassing loss and one that’s unacceptable, and the people who will know that most are the 11 blokes who’ve taken the field, and Andrew McDonald (head coach) and the coaching group.”

Bangladesh have been playing Test cricket for 26 years and while they have improved markedly on spin-friendly home surfaces, they have much less success when playing overseas.

But they dominated from day one in Australia, dismissing the hosts for 198. They piled up 426 in reply, against a first-choice bowling attack that ripped through England last winter, before dismissing Pat Cummins’ team for 284 the second time around. Had Cameron Green not made 104, the margin of the defeat could have been by an innings.

That left Shanto’s men 57 to claim victory, which they achieved for the loss of only Tanzid Hasan Tamim, sparking wild scenes in Darwin and back in Bangladesh.

Pace bowler Hasan Mahmud was named man of the match after taking nine wickets.

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