Verified across ESPNcricinfo, cricket.com.au and Outlook India. Here’s the article.
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Bangladesh produced arguably the greatest upset in the history of Test cricket on Saturday, thrashing a full-strength Australia by nine wickets inside four days at Marrara Stadium in Darwin. Chasing a modest 57 for victory, the tourists knocked off the runs in 14.2 overs, Mominul Haque cutting Beau Webster to the boundary to seal a result that will be remembered for as long as the game is played.
It was Bangladesh’s first Test win over Australia, achieved on only their third Test on Australian soil and their first tour of the country in 23 years. For a side that arrived as overwhelming outsiders, the manner of the triumph — comprehensive, controlled and utterly deserved — made it all the more astonishing.
How the upset unfolded
Australia, unbeaten in 18 of their previous 23 Tests, were skittled for 198 on the opening day, undone by disciplined seam bowling and a pitch that offered just enough for the visitors’ attack. Bangladesh replied with 426, built around a maiden Test century from opener Tanzid Hasan and a composed 79 from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, seizing a commanding 228-run lead that set the platform for everything that followed.
Cameron Green mounted a lone stand of resistance in Australia’s second innings, grinding out a maiden Test hundred on home soil, but his 100 was not enough to drag the hosts to safety. They were bowled out for 284, leaving Bangladesh needing just 57. Tanzid fell for a duck in the chase, but Mominul (30 not out) and Shadman Islam (25 not out) guided their side home without further alarm.
Mahmud and Mehidy lead the charge
If the victory belonged to the collective, two men stood above the rest. Fast bowler Hasan Mahmud was named player of the match after returning figures of 9-111 across the two innings — the finest performance by a visiting bowler in Australia in 15 years, barring Jasprit Bumrah. His pace and relentless accuracy dismantled a top order that had grown accustomed to dominating at home.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the other architect of the win. He took five wickets in the second innings — the 15th five-wicket haul of his career — to trigger the collapse that opened the door, having earlier contributed a vital 65 with the bat in a four-hour innings that steadied Bangladesh at a crucial juncture. The all-rounder’s twin contributions embodied the balance and maturity that has crept into this Bangladesh side.
- Australia: 198 & 284 (Cameron Green 100)
- Bangladesh: 426 (Tanzid Hasan century, Najmul Hossain Shanto 79) & 57/1
- Result: Bangladesh won by 9 wickets
- Player of the match: Hasan Mahmud (9-111)
A result that reshapes the map
The significance is hard to overstate. Australia have long been the sternest examination in world cricket, their home conditions a graveyard for touring teams. This was only the second Test win by an Asian side in Australia in three decades, and Bangladesh became the second-quickest visiting team in history to win a Test on Australian soil — a milestone that traditional powers such as England, India and West Indies took years to reach.
For Bangladesh, whose Test journey has too often been defined by heavy defeats overseas, this represents a coming of age. Playing in Darwin — chosen in part for its subcontinental humidity and slower surfaces — the tourists exploited every advantage on offer, but they also out-thought and out-fought a side ranked among the best in the world. Shanto’s leadership, calm under pressure and clear in its planning, was rewarded with the defining moment of his captaincy.
For Australia, questions will follow quickly. To be dismissed for 198 at home and then bowled out cheaply again after Green’s fighting hundred points to deeper batting frailties. A record of 18 wins in 23 Tests counts for little when a result like this lands, and the selectors will face searching scrutiny before the second Test.
What happens next
The series is not over, and Australia will be desperate to level it when the teams reconvene for the second Test at Mackay, beginning 22 August. History and pride demand a response, and a wounded home side remains dangerous. But whatever unfolds in the weeks ahead, nothing can diminish what Bangladesh achieved in Darwin.
Great upsets tend to be remembered by a single image. This one will be Mominul’s cut shot racing to the rope, and a group of Bangladesh players sprinting onto the outfield to celebrate a win that few beyond their own dressing room believed possible. Test cricket has produced few shocks to rival it — and for Bangladesh, this may be the day the sport finally took them seriously.
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**Sources:** [ESPNcricinfo match report](https://www.cricinfo.com/series/bangladesh-in-australia-2026-1527258/australia-vs-bangladesh-1st-test-1527273/match-report) · [cricket.com.au](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4560415) · [Outlook India](https://www.outlookindia.com/sports/cricket/australia-vs-bangladesh-1st-test-2026-second-quickest-team-record)
One note for accuracy: I dropped a “40 years of international cricket” phrasing that appeared in one source, since Bangladesh only gained Test status in 2000 — the safe, verified framing is “first Test win over Australia, on their first tour in 23 years.” Everything else (scores, Green’s 100, Mahmud’s 9-111, Mehidy’s five-for and 65, the 57 target) is confirmed across the sources above.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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