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Bangladesh produced one of the most stunning upsets in Test cricket history, defeating Australia by nine wickets at Marrara Stadium in Darwin to claim their first-ever Test win on Australian soil. Powered by Hasan Mahmud’s nine-match wickets, Tanzid Hasan’s maiden Test century, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s match-winning five-for in the second innings, the Tigers dominated a full-strength Australia side across all four days to record only the second Test win by an Asian team in Australia in three decades.
Darwin, Australia: In the stifling Darwin heat, on a ground that had never hosted a Test match until this week, Bangladesh rewrote the history of world cricket. They arrived as overwhelming underdogs — a team that had been bundled out for 54 by a Cricket Australia XI in their only warm-up game, missing their rising pace sensation Nahid Rana, and playing Test cricket in Australia for the first time in 23 years. They left as conquerors, having dismantled the world’s No. 1 Test side so completely and so convincingly that the final scoreline — a nine-wicket victory — barely requires embellishment.
This was not a fluke. It was not a victory carved from chaos or snatched from some freak session. It was four days of deliberate, disciplined, total domination — the kind of performance that reorders the cricket world.
Day One: Mahmud Tears the Heart Out of Australia
Australia won the toss and opted to bat, a decision that would haunt them by stumps. Hasan Mahmud, fresh from a maiden county stint with Kent, produced the kind of opening spell that fast bowlers dream of. He removed Jake Weatherald (23) with a booming outswinger in the 12th over, and then bowled Travis Head through the gate for 22 with almost identical trajectory. Head reacted with visible disgust, having just begun to look dangerous.
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Mahmud’s relentlessness was the story of the day. Working in tandem with Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed, he suffocated Australia’s top order with both edges under assault. Steve Smith, dropped at third slip by Tanzid Hasan when on just two, and surviving a confident caught-behind appeal off Ebadot that replays showed was missing the edge, was the one constant source of resistance. He compiled a determined 71, but found precious few partners capable of staying with him.
Cameron Green was snared at short midwicket by Mushfiqur Rahim — a sharp catch by the veteran in the deep — for 13. By lunch, Australia were 74 for 4. The only man who could ask for more was Mahmud. He did not stop there. He finished the innings with career-best figures of 6 for 55 as Australia were bowled out for 198 — a total that felt calamitous given the conditions and the quality of the home side.
Day Two: Tanzid Rewrites Bangladesh’s History Books
Bangladesh’s response was built on a foundation that seemed impossible given their warm-up form. Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, playing only his second Test match, walked out under the Darwin sun and produced the innings of his life. In only his second Test appearance, he became the first Bangladeshi batter to score a century in Australia, crafting a measured, elegant 101 off 197 balls — eight fours and a six from a batter more associated with white-ball fireworks, demonstrating instead the patience and temperament of a seasoned Test opener.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto contributed a vital 84, before the Australian second new ball found its rhythm and removed Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim (36), and Litton Das (0) in quick succession. At 351 for 6, a lead of 153, Bangladesh were in a strong position — but Australia had clawed back momentum.
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Step forward Mehidy Hasan Miraz. With the lower order faltering around him, Mehidy batted with the defiance of a man who understood exactly what this Test match meant for his country. He and Hasan Mahmud — the unlikely overnight partner — held firm for 24.3 overs in a seventh-wicket stand of 43 that denied Australia a single further wicket in the evening session. Mehidy would ultimately depart for 65, bowled by Josh Hazlewood, who finished with a fine 6 for 89 — but by then Bangladesh had reached 426, a lead of 228 that had made Australia’s task enormous.
Day Three: Green Fights, Mehidy Tightens the Noose
Australia’s second innings began with immediate catastrophe. Mahmud — running on adrenaline and purpose — bowled both Weatherald and Head in identical fashion in the opening exchanges, both choppping on to their stumps to fall for ducks and single figures respectively. It was déjà vu for Australia, and devastating.
Smith (44) offered a measure of resistance again, but it was Cameron Green who staged the most defiant rearguard. Batting for nearly five hours and 201 deliveries, Green produced a pugnacious 104 — his third Test century — playing with the controlled aggression of a man trying to drag his team from the edge of history. He hit only four fours across his entire knock, such was the tightness Bangladesh’s bowlers imposed. He found scant support.
Mehidy systematically dismantled the rest of the order. He drew an edge from Beau Webster to bowl him through the gate. Pat Cummins fell to him with an inside edge to short leg, where Shadman Islam held on. Alex Carey played down the wrong line to be caught behind for 30. Mahmud finally removed Green when the tail crumbled around him, finishing with 3 for 56 in the second innings and nine wickets in the match overall. Taskin Ahmed accounted for Mitchell Starc. Australia were bowled out for 284, setting Bangladesh a target of just 57.
Day Four: A Nation’s Morning
The chase of 57 was completed in 14.2 overs. Tanzid fell for a duck — the only blemish on an otherwise immaculate day — but Mominul Haque (30*) and Shadman Islam (25*) strolled to the target in the Darwin afternoon sun with calm authority. Mominul knocked the winning runs at 2.36pm local time.
The celebrations that followed belonged not just to the eleven men on the field, but to a cricketing nation that has spent years fighting for its place at the top table of Test cricket. Bangladesh had beaten Australia at home in 2017 — Shakib Al Hasan’s masterclass in Dhaka — but this was something else entirely. This was winning in Australia. In their own conditions. With a full-strength opponent.
Bangladesh became only the second Asian team in three decades to win a Test on Australian soil. They achieved it in just their third attempt on that continent. The second Test awaits in Mackay on 22 August.
Hasan Mahmud, named Player of the Match for his nine wickets across the game, was understandably emotional in the aftermath. Mehidy spoke for the team: “It was excellent cricket from us,” he said. “We had the belief. Australia are a world-class team and have lots of good players. We knew if we beat them, it would be very good for our country. Had just one message — that we have to believe. Otherwise it’s not possible.”
Captain Shanto added: “I told them, ‘do not think about who is bowling at you.’ We batted well and bowled well at the right times.”
From 54 all out in the warm-up to nine-wicket victors in Australia. The Tigers have roared.
Result: Bangladesh beat Australia by 9 wickets Venue: Marrara Stadium, Darwin, August 13–16, 2026
Scorecards:
- Australia 1st innings: 198 (Smith 71; Mahmud 6-55, Ebadot 2-39)
- Bangladesh 1st innings: 426 (Tanzid 101, Shanto 84, Mehidy 65; Hazlewood 6-89)
- Australia 2nd innings: 284 (Green 104, Smith 44; Mehidy 5-66, Mahmud 3-56)
- Bangladesh 2nd innings: 57/1 (Mominul 30*, Shadman 25*)
Player of the Match: Hasan Mahmud (6-55 & 3-56)
