Bangladesh Become Quickest Asian Team to Win a Test in Australia With Historic Triumph in Darwin

Darwin, August 16: Bangladesh produced one of the biggest Test victories in their history on Sunday (August 16), beating Australia by nine wickets in Darwin to register their first Test win on Australian soil and only their second victory over the hosts in seven meetings.

The result was remarkable not only because Bangladesh defeated the world's top-ranked Test side in its own conditions, but also because of how comprehensively they controlled the match.

After Australia were bowled out for 198 in the first innings, Bangladesh responded with 426 to take a commanding 228-run lead. When Australia fought back through Cameron Green's century in the second innings, Mehidy Hasan Miraz stepped in with a decisive five-wicket haul to restrict the hosts to 284.

Bangladesh needed only 57 runs in the final innings and, despite losing Tanzid Hasan for a duck, completed the chase in 14.2 overs. Shadman Islam remained unbeaten on 25 while Mominul Haque finished on 30 not out as Bangladesh's players and travelling supporters celebrated a landmark victory.

The win also ended a long-standing Australian home record. Australia had not previously lost a home Test to an Asian team other than India since 1995.

Three Numbers Behind a Landmark Win Over Australia
3 - Bangladesh needed only three Tests to win in Australia

Bangladesh have become the quickest Asian team to register their first Test victory on Australian soil, requiring only three attempts.

Pakistan needed seven Tests to achieve their first win in Australia, while India had to wait until their 12th Test Down Under. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remain without a Test victory in Australia after 15 attempts.

For Bangladesh, the achievement is particularly striking given the relative lack of Test cricket they have played against Australia. Their previous meetings had produced Australia's 2017 defeat in Mirpur as Bangladesh's only victory over them.

The Darwin result therefore gives Bangladesh a second win over Australia in just seven Tests.

31 - Australia's long home record against Asian teams ends

The magnitude of Bangladesh's achievement can also be understood through Australia's home record. Before this Test, Australia had not lost at home to an Asian team other than India since 1995. Bangladesh have now ended that 31-year run, doing so against an Australian side that entered the match as the world's No. 1 Test team.

The hosts had opportunities to change the course of the match, particularly after Cameron Green's century gave them a fighting chance in the second innings. But Bangladesh had built too substantial an advantage during the first two innings for Australia to overcome.

2 - Bangladesh's SENA Test wins

The Darwin victory is Bangladesh's second Test win in SENA countries, following their memorable victory over New Zealand at Mount Maunganui in 2022.

The two victories have come in very different circumstances, but both underline Bangladesh's growing ability to produce results outside the subcontinent.

The win in Mount Maunganui was Bangladesh's first Test victory in New Zealand. Four years later, they have now added Australia to the list.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz Turns The Test

Australia began the fourth day on 161/4, with Green and Alex Carey at the crease and the hosts still holding hopes of setting Bangladesh a difficult target. Mehidy had other ideas.

The off-spinner had already removed Steve Smith late on the third day, and he returned on Sunday to dismantle Australia's lower order. Carey was caught behind for 30 before Mehidy produced a delivery that straightened past Beau Webster's bat and clipped the top of off stump.

Pat Cummins then fell for eight, caught at short leg, before Nathan Lyon was trapped lbw to complete Mehidy's five-wicket haul.

He finished with 5/66, having taken the crucial wickets that prevented Australia from building a substantial fourth-innings target.

Mehidy's contribution was not limited to his bowling. He had also scored a valuable half-century in Bangladesh's first innings, making him one of the central figures in a Test that increasingly belonged to the visitors.

Cameron Green's Century Could Not Save Australia

Australia's second innings ultimately revolved around Green.

The all-rounder remained at the crease while wickets fell around him and eventually reached 104 from 201 balls, bringing up his third Test century and his first in Australia.

It was a significant personal milestone for Green, who has faced questions about his place in Australia's Test side during his career. His century also prevented what could have been an even more damaging innings defeat.

But Green's resistance could only delay the inevitable.

Hasan Mahmud eventually dismissed him for 104 when a delivery kept low and bowled the Australian all-rounder. Mahmud finished with 3/56, while Mehidy's five-wicket haul ensured Australia were bowled out for 284.

The target of 57 was never likely to present Bangladesh with a serious challenge.

Bangladesh's First-Innings Batting Made The Difference

The decisive phase of the match had actually arrived much earlier. Australia's first-innings 198 had given Bangladesh an opportunity, but the visitors still needed to build a score large enough to make the advantage meaningful.

They did exactly that.

Bangladesh reached 426, taking a 228-run first-innings lead and putting Australia under enormous pressure. The pitch had become easier for batting as the match progressed, and Bangladesh's batters capitalised on those conditions far better than the Australian top order had managed.

That lead ultimately proved decisive.

Even though Australia were able to score 284 in their second innings, they were still effectively defending a position from which Bangladesh had started with a substantial advantage.