Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto Calls Australia Rout ‘Bangladesh’s Biggest Win Ever’

Bangladesh came to Darwin without a Test victory on Australian soil. They left with what their captain called the greatest win in the country’s cricketing history.

Najmul Hossain Shanto’s men demolished Australia by nine wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series and completing one of international cricket’s most extraordinary upsets. “This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format,” Shanto said after the match. “Going forward, we want to do something special.”

Bangladesh did not steal the Test through one brilliant session. They controlled it.

Hasan Mahmud ripped through Australia with six wickets in the first innings. Tanzid Hasan struck his maiden Test century to give Bangladesh a commanding lead. Mehidy Hasan Miraz then took five wickets in the second innings before the visitors brushed aside a target of 57.

Australia were dismissed for 198 in their first innings despite Steve Smith’s defiant 71. Hasan returned figures of 6/55, while Ebadot Hossain claimed two wickets as Bangladesh’s fast bowlers stunned the hosts.

The visitors responded with 426.

Tanzid, better known for his aggressive white-ball batting, showed the patience the occasion demanded. He scored 101, Shanto contributed 84 and Mehidy added a crucial 65 to give Bangladesh a 228-run lead. “He attacks in the white-ball game, but in this Test he was calm and played shots on the ball’s merit,” Shanto said of Tanzid. “As a top-order batter, we want him to have an impact, and he did it.”

Josh Hazlewood fought back with 6/89, but the damage had already been done. Australia now needed a rescue act merely to make Bangladesh bat again. Cameron Green provided one with a century in the second innings. His 104, along with Smith’s 44, carried Australia to 284. The recovery, however, only delayed Bangladesh’s march.

Mehidy claimed 5/56 and Hasan added another three wickets as Australia were bowled out for the second time in the match. Their target was just 57. Bangladesh lost one wicket in the chase before Mominul Haque, unbeaten on 30, and Shadman Islam, 25 not out, finished the job.

For Shanto, the victory also offered proof of a deeper transformation within Bangladesh cricket. A team historically built around spin had conquered Australia with its fast bowlers playing a central role.

Five years ago, Shanto said, Bangladesh’s pacers were reluctant to play Test cricket. That attitude has changed. “They want to play, want to perform and want to be world-class,” he said. “That is the mindset they now have.”

Shanto also credited senior batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul for encouraging younger players to value the longest format. Bangladesh must now carry that belief into the second Test. Shanto warned that one historic performance would not guarantee another. “We have to play five days of good cricket,” he said. “If we play session by session and the lower order keeps chipping in, those are the things.”

The series is still alive. The result in Darwin, though, is already immortal. Bangladesh arrived in Australia chasing credibility. They ended the first Test with history, a nine-wicket hammering and perhaps the loudest declaration yet that they are no longer Test cricket’s pushovers.

(With inputs from ANI)