DARWIN, Australia: In what will be remembered as one of the greatest upsets in Test cricket history, Bangladesh produced a performance of breathtaking completeness to dismantle Australia by nine wickets in the Darwin Test, securing their first-ever victory on Australian soil in emphatic fashion.
Bangladesh stun Australia to register landmark first Test victory Down Under 👏#WTC27 📝: https://t.co/gIQtdBGVou pic.twitter.com/xQdTVZchm6
— ICC (@ICC) August 16, 2026
The visitors, ranked ninth in the world, absolutely trounced the much-vaunted No. 1 Test side and World Test Championship leaders in their own backyard, chasing down a meager target of 57 runs on the fourth afternoon to leave a full day of celebration for players, support staff, and the small but vocal contingent of Bangladeshi fans at an almost empty Marrara Oval.
Mominul Haque knocked the winning runs at 2:36 pm local time, sparking scenes of unbridled joy in the visitors’ dugout as Bangladesh completed a victory that defied all logic, form, and history, especially considering they had been bowled out for a paltry 54 in their warm-up fixture against CA XI just a week prior.
🚨History Made in Darwin!💥
Bangladesh Defeats Australia in Australia for the First Time in Cricket History💪 pic.twitter.com/xlrqqDk3mo
— Khel Cricket (@Khelnowcricket) August 16, 2026
‘Unbelievable’ victory built on pace and character
The scale of Bangladesh’s achievement cannot be overstated. This was only their third Test on Australian soil and their first in 23 years, yet they outplayed a full-strength Australian side in every department across four days of riveting cricket.
After Australia were bundled out for 198 in the first innings, all 10 wickets claimed by the pace bowlers, Bangladesh posted a commanding 426, built around opener Tanzid Hasan’s magnificent maiden Test century. The 228-run first-innings lead proved insurmountable, and when Australia were restricted to 284 in the second dig, the target was a mere formality.
Hasan Mahmud was the undisputed hero of the match, finishing with nine wickets including a sensational six-wicket haul in the first innings. His relentless accuracy and ability to exploit the bounce and seam movement left Australia’s celebrated batting lineup in tatters.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz complemented Mahmud’s brilliance with a five-wicket haul in the second innings, including the crucial scalps of Steven Smith, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon. Cameron Green’s defiant 104, his third Test century, proved a mere consolation as he found little support from his teammates.
The Test match in Darwin concluded as a landmark outing for Bangladesh 📸🇧🇩
Match report 👉 https://t.co/BAtrRfsBg5 pic.twitter.com/rOqIzWuI1e
— ICC (@ICC) August 16, 2026
Shanto: ‘This is the biggest win for Bangladesh in any format’
A visibly emotional Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto did not mince words when assessing the magnitude of his team’s achievement.
“This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format,” Shanto declared at the post-match presentation. “Going forward, we will do something special in the future. Very happy and proud of myself and the way the boys played. We did a lot of hard work and are very happy to win.”
🚨Bangladesh just did the unthinkable.
Beat Australia by 9 wickets in Darwin.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto after the match🗣️:
“This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh cricket in any format.” #BANvAUS #Cricket pic.twitter.com/CMHDDh0n2X
— Rajat Jain (@RajatJain) August 16, 2026
The 27-year-old skipper, who led from the front with both bat and tactical acumen, singled out the transformation in Bangladesh’s pace bowling unit as the catalyst for their recent Test resurgence.
“That [the rise of fast bowlers] is the biggest change in Bangladesh cricket in the Test format,” Shanto emphasized. “Normally, five-six years ago, the pace bowlers didn’t want to play Test cricket since we didn’t play enough Test cricket. But in the last two-three years we’ve been playing lots of Test matches and the boys are giving importance to Test format.”
“They now want to play, they want to perform because they want to be world-class. That is the mindset they now have. Especially the senior guys, like Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque, they helped them a lot to encourage to play more Test cricket.”
Read Also: Who Will Face Australia in World Test Championship Final at The Oval?
Mahmud and Mehidy reflect on historic achievement
Player of the Match Hasan Mahmud, whose nine-wicket match haul dismantled the world’s best batting lineup, revealed the simple philosophy that guided the team’s remarkable turnaround.
“Before the match, in every practice session, we’ve been doing our best every day, in every session and we were focusing on the fact that whatever happens, just believe in your process and don’t think about the outcome,” Mahmud said. “Whatever happens, we have to play for five days and then the results will come. Our bowlers have done very well, with patience and they followed the process, hitting the line and length, and we knew the results would come.”
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who claimed his 15th five-wicket haul in Tests and fittingly took the final wicket to spark wild celebrations, spoke of the belief that sustained the team through adversity.
Read Also: Bangladesh eyeing maiden Test win in Australia after dominant day three in Darwin
“After losing the practice match, we still had belief,” Mehidy revealed. “We thought that it’s a great opportunity for us in these conditions, after a long time [23 years] we came here. They are a very good and world-class team, they have lots of good players and if we beat them it would be great for our country and our cricket. We knew we had to believe otherwise we can’t do it.”
The off-spinner reserved special praise for his captain’s leadership, which has guided Bangladesh to three wins in their four Tests this year.
“He is a very good captain and he makes very good decisions at the right time,” Mehidy said of Shanto. “Everybody is happy back home. I think it’s a proud moment and they are enjoying. There was also a lot of Bangladeshi crowd here, thank you very much for coming and supporting us. They believed that we can win the match, that’s why we won the match.”
A Historic Day in Bangladesh Cricket! 🇧🇩🏆🔥
The Tigers have conquered Australia in Darwin, sealing a historic 9-wicket win in the 1st Test! What a day! 🏏#Bangladesh #Tigers #BANvAUS #Cricket pic.twitter.com/jJDFWO9nJE
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) August 16, 2026
Tanzid Hasan: The emergence of a new test star
Opener Tanzid Hasan, playing only his second Test match, announced himself on the world stage with a composed 101 that set the platform for Bangladesh’s imposing first-innings total. The 25-year-old, making his Test debut earlier this year against Pakistan, showed remarkable temperament against a world-class bowling attack.
“He’s exciting, if you look at his white-ball game, he always plays attacking cricket but in this Test match he showed his character, he was very calm and played according to the merit of the ball,” Shanto said of the young opener. “We all know he has that ability to play Test cricket and as top-order batsmen we want someone to make an impact for the team and he delivered in this match.”
Australia left shell-shocked
The defeat represents one of Australia’s most humbling losses on home soil, particularly given their status as the No. 1 ranked Test side and leaders of the World Test Championship standings. Captain Pat Cummins, who fell to Mehidy with an inside edge to short leg, now faces difficult questions about his batting lineup’s frailties ahead of the second Test in Mackay.
🚨 Mathew Hayden & Ricky Ponting statement for n Australia Embarassing loss 🚨
Mathew Hayden – “I never expected this kind of performance from Australia. It’s a very embarrassing moment for Australian cricket. Full credit to Bangladesh. They played excellent cricket”.
Ricky… pic.twitter.com/wYK38daB6X
— VIKAS (@Vikas662005) August 16, 2026
Cameron Green’s fighting century, which spanned nearly five hours and 201 deliveries, was the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing display from the hosts. The all-rounder’s innings, featuring only four fours and a lone six, was a study in resilience but ultimately in vain as wickets tumbled around him.
Read Also: Bangladesh Rock Australia’s Batting Line-Up in First Test
Can Bangladesh complete the sweep?
When asked if this comprehensive victory provided evidence that Bangladesh could go 2-0 in Mackay, Shanto remained grounded but optimistic.
“We have that evidence but we need to play good cricket,” the captain said. “As I had said before this Test match, we have to play five days of good cricket, and again I’m going to say the same thing. As we did this Test match, follow the process, play session by session, bowlers did their job, batsmen chipped in and especially the lower middle order and lower order, the way they added. Those are the things we need to play in Mackay.”
