Bangladesh achieves historic victory over Australia in first Test match in Darwin

The Bangladesh cricket team achieved a historic victory over Australia in the Darwin Test match, winning by a margin of 9 wickets. The Bangladeshi squad, which visited Australia for Test matches for the first time in 23 years, completely outperformed the host team led by Pat Cummins. This marked Bangladesh's first victory over Australia on Australian soil in a Test match.

The contest, held at the Marrira Cricket Ground in Darwin, concluded in just four days. The foundation of Bangladesh's victory was laid in the first innings when their bowlers restricted Australia to only 198 runs. Fast bowler Hasan Mahmud took six wickets in Australia's first innings. Following this, Tanzid Hasan Tamim took charge as a batsman and scored an impressive hundred.

Bangladesh scored 426 runs in its first innings, giving them a substantial advantage of 228 runs over Australia. This advantage later proved to be the decisive moment of the match. Although Australia attempted to stage a comeback in the second innings, their batsmen were unable to score a significant number of runs against the spin bowling of Mehdi Hasan Miraz. Miraz took five wickets, allowing Bangladesh to set a very small target.

The historic win benefited Bangladesh in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 table. Their Points Percentage (PCT) increased from 58.33% to 66.67%. After their third win out of five matches, Bangladesh secured fourth place. Australia suffered a significant setback due to the defeat: their PCT dropped from 87.50% to 77.77%. Despite this, they still hold the top spot, but the gap with the defending champion South Africa, currently in second place, has narrowed considerably, as the latter holds a PCT of 75.00%.

New Zealand occupies third place with 72.22% points after six matches. Bangladesh follows India, which has 48.15% points and is in fifth place, while Sri Lanka is in sixth place with 41.67% points. Further down are England (24.36%), Pakistan (22.22%), and West Indies (20.83%).

This victory holds special historical significance for Bangladesh. Previously, the team had played only two Tests in Australia, both during the 2003 tour. The team, arriving after 23 years, achieved its first victory on the third attempt. The record for the fastest first victory in Australia belongs to England, who achieved it in their second match in 1877. Bangladesh equaled this record with South Africa, which also secured its first victory in the third Test in Australia in 1910.

Young Bangladeshi batsman Tanzid Hasan Tamim achieved a historic feat in the Darwin Test match against Australia. He became the first player from Bangladesh to score a Test century on Australian soil, reaching this milestone at the age of 25.

Tamim, who was playing in only his second Test match, scored a century by accumulating 101 runs off 188 balls. His contribution to the game also included eight fours and one six. Tamim was dismissed by Nathan Lyon. This innings was particularly significant as it pitted him against a powerful Australian side featuring stars such as Pat Cummins, Michelle Stars, Josh Hazlewood, and Lyon.

Bangladesh initially reduced Australia to 198 runs, and then, thanks to the brilliant performance of Tanzid Hasan Tamim, managed to gain an advantage in the first innings, strengthening their position in the match.

Previously, the record holder among Bangladeshi batsmen for the highest score in Australia was Hannan Sarkar. In 2003, he scored 76 runs against Australia in a Test in Cairns. For over two decades, no Bangladeshi player had surpassed this figure. Now, Tanzid Hasan Tamim has exceeded this mark in his second Test match, setting a new historical record.

This innings marked Tanzid Hasan Tamim's first half-century in his career, but he did not stop at fifty. Initially, he demonstrated patience against the fast Australian bowlers, waiting for loose deliveries. After settling in, the left-handed batsman increased his scoring rate.

The partnership between Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Momindu Hovik played a crucial role in solidifying Bangladesh's strong position. They together scored 102 runs for the second wicket. Momindu was just one run away from his half-century. Josh Hazlewood broke this partnership by catching him at the backfield when the score was 49. Following this, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto came onto the field and supported Tamim. Both players prevented the Australian bowlers from constantly applying pressure, playing a key role in gaining the first-innings lead.

Before Tanzid Hasan Tamim's historic century, Bangladeshi fast bowler Hasan Mahmud set the stage for the match. Hasan took 6 wickets for 55 runs against a strong attacking Australian lineup. Faced with his deadly bowling, the first innings of Australia ended at only 198 runs. Subsequently, the Bangladeshi batsmen did not let the bowlers' efforts go to waste.

The first match of the Test series between Australia and Bangladesh started on August 13 (Thursday) at Marara ground in Darwin. In the initial phase of this Test, Bangladesh's fast bowlers dominated. Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, and Ibadat Hossain created difficulties for the top order of the Australian team by utilizing favorable conditions.

However, the most attention was drawn to the unusual way Taskin Ahmed celebrated. This incident occurred in the 22nd over of the Australian innings. When Cameron Green attempted to play the last ball of that over on the left side of the field, the ball did not connect properly with the bat. The ball went towards mid-wicket, where the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim made no mistake in catching it.

After Cameron Green was dismissed, Taskin Ahmed began celebrating in a peculiar style. He stuck out his tongue and danced for several seconds. While teammates headed towards Mushfiqur to celebrate the wicket, Taskin's mannerism was captured by the camera. Video of this moment is quickly spreading on social media.

After a strong start, the Australian team began to lose momentum. Australian captain Pat Cummins decided to start batting after the toss. The opening batsmen played well, scoring 45 runs without loss. However, Bangladesh then powerfully regained its position.

Jack Weatherald, who is from Darwin, received full support from local fans, but he lost his wicket trying to hit a strong delivery bowled by Hasan Mahmud. He scored 23 runs off 37 balls. In the next over, Hasan sent dangerous Travis Head (22 runs) to the pavilion. Head connected with his shots, and Australia's score quickly increased from 45/0 to 52/2.

Ibadat Hossain also put pressure on Bangladesh. He caused Marnus Labuschagne (1 run) to be caught by Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Ibadat had the opportunity to dismiss Steve Smith, but his catch in the third slip was missed. Smith took advantage of this chance. Meanwhile, after Green was dismissed shortly before the lunch break, Australia's score reached 74/4. For the Bangladeshi team, which has been on Australian soil for almost two decades, it would be hard to imagine a better start to the session.

Australia fielded a strong attacking lineup. Besides captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were responsible for fast bowling, and experienced off-spinner Nathan Lyon was also in the squad. Cummins is playing in his second Test in the last 13 months.