Bangladesh crushed Australia by nine wickets in Darwin on Sunday to claim their first Test victory on Australian soil. The visitors needed just 57 and finished 57 for 1 after bowling the hosts out for 284 in their second innings.
Hasan Mahmud earned player of the match with match figures of 9 for 111. Mehidy Hasan Miraz added a half-century and a five-wicket haul. Australia, the top-ranked Test side, never recovered from a first-innings 198.
The contest lasted four days at Marrara Stadium yet felt decided far earlier. Once Bangladesh built a lead of 228, the only remaining questions were how long Australia could delay the chase and whether the visitors would hold their nerve in the fourth innings.
Australia Fold for 198 on Day One
Pat Cummins won the toss and batted. Bangladesh’s pace attack dismantled the top order before lunch. Hasan Mahmud removed both openers, Jake Weatherald for 23 and Travis Head for 22, both chopping on.
Ebadot Hossain claimed Marnus Labuschagne for 1. Steve Smith fought for 71, the only Australian to pass fifty. Mahmud finished with a career-best 6 for 55 as Australia were dismissed for 198 in 53 overs.
| Innings | Score | Top scorer | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia 1st | 198 | Smith 71 | Mahmud 6-55 |
| Bangladesh 1st | 426 | Tanzid 101 | Hazlewood 6-89 |
| Australia 2nd | 284 | Green 104 | Mehidy 5-66 |
| Bangladesh 2nd | 57-1 | Mominul 30* | Hazlewood 1-5 |
The total was Australia’s lowest first innings against Bangladesh. It was also the lowest by any side batting first against them. Days earlier Bangladesh had been bowled out for 54 by a Cricket Australia XI in their sole warm-up.
That warm-up collapse made the first-day reverse still sharper. A side dismissed for 54 by a second-string attack returned within days and rolled the world number one for under 200. The contrast framed everything that followed.
Smith’s 71 stood alone. No partner stayed long enough to build a stand that could blunt the new ball. The innings never settled after the early chopping-on dismissals, and the 53-over duration underlined how completely the visitors dictated terms once Cummins chose to bat.
Tanzid Century and Mehidy Resistance Build the Lead
Bangladesh answered with patience across 138 overs. Opener Tanzid Hasan made 101, the first Test hundred by a Bangladeshi batter in Australia. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 84. Mominul Haque added 49.
- Tanzid Hasan: 101 off 197 balls, first Ban ton on Aus soil
- Najmul Hossain Shanto: 84 off 126, anchoring the middle order
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz: 65 off 154, shielding the lower order for hours
- Josh Hazlewood: 6 for 89, including his 300th Test wicket
Mehidy’s four-hour 65 frustrated a tiring attack on a hot Darwin morning. Smith dropped a simple chance off Taskin Ahmed. Head spilled another. Hazlewood reached 300 Test wickets when he dismissed Mehidy, then finished with six. Bangladesh closed on 426, a lead of 228.
The full Darwin Test scorecard shows how completely the visitors controlled the middle days.
The drops mattered. Each missed chance extended the innings on a surface that already rewarded grind over flash. Tanzid’s hundred set the platform; Shanto’s 84 kept the middle order honest; Mehidy’s hours at the crease turned a solid total into a decisive one. Australia’s attack, even with Hazlewood’s milestone six-for, could not break the pattern once the lead stretched past 200.
By the time the last wicket fell, Bangladesh had occupied the crease for the better part of two days. The method was simple and relentless: leave well, punish the loose ball, and refuse the hurry that often undoes touring sides in Australia.
Mehidy’s Five and Mahmud’s Nine Seal Day Four
Australia began the fourth day at 161 for 4, still 67 behind. Cameron Green and Alex Carey had steadied overnight. Green ground out his first Test hundred in Australia, 104 off 201 balls with just four fours and one six.
It was not enough. Mehidy took the key wickets. He had Smith caught and bowled for 44 on day three. On day four he removed Carey for 30, bowled Beau Webster for 5, trapped Pat Cummins for 8 via bat-pad, and finished Nathan Lyon lbw for 15. His figures read 5 for 66 from 33.1 overs.
Match bowling highlights
- Hasan Mahmud: 6-55 and 3-56 for 9-111, second-best match haul by a Bangladesh seamer
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz: 65 and 5-66, first visiting spinner five-for in Australia since Kuldeep Yadav in 2019
- Josh Hazlewood: 6-89 and one more, ninth Australian to 300 Test wickets
Mahmud returned to bowl Green, the ball keeping low. Australia were all out for 284. Target 57. Tanzid fell for a duck to Hazlewood, but Mominul Haque (30 not out) and Shadman Islam (25 not out) finished the chase in 14.2 overs. Mominul cut Beau Webster for the winning four.
The stats put both bowlers in elite company for match hauls by Bangladesh quicks and visiting spinners.
Green’s century bought time and pride. It did not buy a path back into the match. Once Mehidy broke the overnight stand and began working through the lower order, the deficit proved too large. Mahmud’s return spell, with the ball keeping low to remove Green, closed the door for good.
The chase itself was brisk and largely untroubled after the early loss of Tanzid. Fourteen overs and a bit was all it took. The winning cut from Mominul sealed a result that had been building since the first morning.
World Test Championship Jump and Series Lead
The result lifted Bangladesh to fourth in the WTC standings with a 66.67 percentage after three wins from five matches. Australia remain table-toppers but dropped points at home after winning the toss, only their third such home loss in 15 years.
Bangladesh lead the two-Test series 1-0. The second Test starts 22 August in Mackay. Crowd figures stayed modest, with 5,821 recorded on day three. The performance still landed as one of the biggest shocks of the WTC cycle.
Cummins kept the door open for batting changes. Labuschagne’s form remains under scrutiny after scores of 1 and 31. Green’s century offered one positive after long scrutiny of his home record.
Three wins from five matches now place Bangladesh ahead of India on percentage. For a side long cast as visitors who struggle outside Asia, the climb to fourth is as loud as the nine-wicket margin. Australia, still top of the table, must absorb a rare home deduction after choosing to bat first.
| Side | WTC position | Notes from Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Table-toppers | Dropped home points after winning toss |
| Bangladesh | Fourth (66.67%) | Three wins from five; past India on percentage |
Shanto Calls It the Biggest Win of All
This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format. Going forward we want to do something special in the future. I’m very happy, proud of myself and the way the boys played. We did a lot of hard work.
Najmul Hossain Shanto said that after the match. He pointed to a mindset shift among the pacers. “Five years ago, pacers didn’t want to play Tests. But we’ve been playing lots of Test cricket and they are giving importance to Test format. They want to play, want to perform, want to be world class.”
Cummins offered no excuses. “They outplayed us in all facets, they were patient and disciplined. I thought our prep was spot-on.” ABC commentator Jim Maxwell called it one of the most embarrassing defeats Australia have suffered in Test cricket.
Bangladesh prime minister Tarique Rahman congratulated the squad by video. On X, observers noted the age contrast: Australia’s side averaged near 34 while younger Bangladesh players drove the key moments. The win also pushed Bangladesh past India into fourth on WTC percentage.
Shanto’s stress on hard work and format priority matched the evidence on the field. The pacers who once shied from the longest game took 14 wickets across the match. The batters who once folded away from home occupied the crease for 138 overs. The captain’s words and the scorecard told the same story.
From Innings Losses in 2003 to Nine-Wicket Dominance
Bangladesh’s only previous Tests in Australia came in 2003. They lost both by an innings. Overall they had one prior win against Australia, at home in Mirpur in 2017. This was their third match on Australian soil and first success.
- 2003 tour: Two innings defeats on first visit to Australia
- 2017 Mirpur: Sole previous Test win over Australia
- Warm-up 2026: Bowled out for 54 by a CA XI days before Darwin
- 13-16 August 2026: Nine-wicket win at Marrara Stadium, Darwin
Among visiting sides only England needed fewer matches (two) to win a Test in Australia. South Africa also succeeded on their third try. Cameron Green’s gritty home hundred delayed the inevitable but could not change the pattern of the match.
The visitors had lost 22 of their previous 26 Tests outside Asia. Two of their leading quicks, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam, were injured. Still they took 14 wickets with pace across the match, joint-most by Bangladesh seamers in a Test, and controlled every session after the toss.
For Australia the defeat opens a 20-Test stretch in 12 months with hard questions already on the table. For Bangladesh it confirms that sustained investment in the longest format can deliver results even on the hardest roads.
The arc from twin innings losses to a nine-wicket win is long. Twenty-three years separate the first tour from Darwin. The Mirpur win in 2017 proved Australia could be beaten at home for Bangladesh; Darwin proved the same feat was possible on Australian pitches, even with key quicks missing and a 54 all out still fresh from the warm-up.
Missing Quicks Could Not Stop The Seamers
Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam both sat out through injury. Their absence might have invited a cautious forecast. Instead Bangladesh’s remaining pace group claimed 14 wickets in the match, matching the side’s joint-best seam haul in any Test.
Mahmud led the way with nine across two innings. Ebadot struck early on day one. The group shared the new ball and the old without leaking easy runs. That volume of pace wickets, on a ground where spin often shares the load, flipped the expected script for a touring attack short of two first-choice names.
- Fourteen pace wickets in the match, joint-most by Bangladesh seamers in a Test
- Mahmud’s 9 for 111 the standout individual return
- Two leading quicks absent yet the seam unit still dictated terms
- Control held in every session after the toss
Mehidy’s five-for then supplied the spin complement. The balance mattered. Pace broke the top order twice; spin finished the lower order on day four. Shanto’s post-match remarks about pacers wanting to be world class found their proof in those 14 wickets and in the refusal to let Australia settle after the toss.
For a side that had lost 22 of 26 Tests outside Asia, the seam performance carried extra weight. It showed the investment in the format had reached the bowling group, not only the batters who built 426.
Australia Must Answer Hard Questions Before Mackay
The calendar offers little rest. Australia now face a 20-Test stretch across 12 months. Darwin hands them early evidence that home surfaces and a winning toss no longer guarantee control.
Labuschagne’s twin failures, 1 and 31, keep his place under review. Cummins has already left room for batting changes. Green’s first Test hundred in Australia is the clear individual positive, yet one century could not offset a first-innings 198 or a second-innings slide from a recoverable overnight position.
Only two prior home losses after winning the toss had arrived in the previous 15 years. This third instance arrived against a side ranked well below them and missing two quicks. Jim Maxwell’s description of an embarrassing defeat captured the mood; Cummins’s admission that Bangladesh outplayed them in all facets left no shelter in conditions or preparation.
Mackay begins on 22 August. Series score: 1-0 to the visitors. The hosts must find answers in selection and method before the second Test widens the gap. Bangladesh, meanwhile, travel north with belief earned the hard way, session by session, from a 54 all out warm-up to a nine-wicket win on Australian soil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was named player of the match in the Darwin Test?
Hasan Mahmud received the award for his match haul of 9 for 111, including a career-best 6 for 55 in the first innings that dismantled Australia for 198. No other Bangladesh seamer has bettered those match figures against Australia.
How many previous Tests had Bangladesh played in Australia?
Only two, both in 2003, and both lost by an innings. Darwin 2026 was their third Test on Australian soil and first victory of any kind there.
What was special about Tanzid Hasan’s century?
His 101 was the first Test hundred scored by a Bangladeshi batter in Australia. It came off 197 balls and anchored the reply that built a 228-run first-innings lead.
Did any Australian reach a milestone in the match?
Josh Hazlewood claimed his 300th Test wicket when he dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The Darwin XI became the first Australian side to field four bowlers with 300-plus Test wickets (Hazlewood, Lyon, Starc, Cummins).
