When Bangladesh refused to let fear take over in Australia

Since Bangladesh put up an impressive show on the opening day of the ongoing two-match Test series against Australia, expectations grew across the country that they could make a statement Down Under.

Those expectations grew with each passing day. Yet, along the way, a sense of fear began to creep in — a feeling that this joy couldn't last long and that the mighty Australians were bound to come back at some point in the game.

After the third day's play, when stumps were drawn with the hosts trailing by 67 runs with six wickets in hand, the public was divided. One side felt the touring party could beat the hosts by an innings, while others believed that if Australia managed to take an overall lead of 100 to 150 runs, the visitors would find it difficult to handle the pressure and would eventually succumb to it.

Former national skipper Khaled Mahmud, who led Bangladesh during their last tour of Australia in 2003, admitted to Cricbuzz that there were concerns in certain sections that Bangladesh could lose their grip on the game at some point. However, he said he never shared those thoughts, as he was convinced that things had changed over time and that the current touring party was better equipped to handle pressure.

“Some people were saying that if they set a 150-run target, Bangladesh wouldn't be able to win,” said Mahmud. “But I was not doubtful. From what I observed of the wicket, I didn't see any reason Bangladesh wouldn't perform well. Sure, there was bounce, but bounce alone wasn't a problem for us - only pace combined with bounce is tricky, and this pitch didn't really have that pace. When Taskin and the others were bowling to the keeper on day two, it was clear how the pitch was behaving, right?

“I was never confused; I was confident. I believed if we could set a target above 200, Bangladesh could win the Test match. And that's exactly what happened. Besides, there's always pressure on the opponent too, right? Our guys are bowling really well now. We used to struggle because our bowling line-up was weak, but that’s not the case anymore. We have a strong bowling attack now, unlike in the past,” he said.

Mahmud added that it would not be fair to compare the two sides that played in 2003 and 2026, given that Bangladesh were still relatively new to Test cricket when they last visited Australia and were facing a world champion side.

“You can't really compare the 2003 Australian team with the current one. That 2003 team were the world champions. Back then, Bangladesh was an inexperienced team, but today’s players are far more mature, experienced, and confident. Even after I said that, people misunderstood my point. I just wanted to highlight how much we’ve improved,” he said.

“I wasn’t downplaying Australia, but comparing this team to the classic 2003 squad isn't fair—back then, even after taking five wickets, you had Adam Gilchrist coming in! But some people just refuse to acknowledge the progress that we are making day by day,” he added.

“All the players contributed, and for me that is the biggest thing as it proves that we are growing as a Test nation,” he added in a firm tone that suggested it was high time they put their faith in the cricketers rather than doubting their talent and skill set.

Following the historic Test win over Australia, Bangladesh will head into the second Test in McKay with a significant boost in confidence. More importantly, the victory is expected to instil much-needed belief among those who have long viewed the team through the lens of apprehension.

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