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Bangladesh’s first Test on Australian soil in 23 years could not have started any better. Asked to bowl first after losing the toss, the Tigers produced a fast bowling masterclass to skittle Australia for just 198 on the opening day at Marrara Stadium in Darwin. Hasan Mahmud was the hero with a career best 6 for 55, and by stumps Bangladesh had already begun building their reply.
A dream start in Darwin
Not since 2003 had Bangladesh played a Test in Australia. On the evidence of day one, the wait was worth it. The home side chose to bat on a pitch expected to offer early assistance to the seamers, but it was Bangladesh’s quicks who cashed in, striking at regular intervals to keep Australia on the back foot from the very first session.
By the close of the day Bangladesh had reached 36 for 1 in reply, trailing by 162 runs, with opener Shadman Islam looking settled on 20 before he became the only Bangladeshi wicket to fall. The platform could hardly have been more promising.
Mahmud’s career best masterclass
Hasan Mahmud delivered the performance of his life. His figures of 6 for 55 are his best in Test cricket and the third best ever by a Bangladesh fast bowler. It was his third five wicket haul in the format, and it could not have come on a bigger stage.
None of Mahmud’s wickets were gifts. He teased debutant Jake Weatherald all morning with a clever mix of wide deliveries and sharp induckers, before finally drawing the loose drive that Litton Das gathered cleanly behind the stumps for 23. Travis Head, one of Australia’s most destructive batters, was undone by Mahmud’s around the wicket angle, cramped for room and edging onto his own stumps for 22.
After tea, Mahmud returned to strike twice in successive overs. He removed captain Pat Cummins for 9 and Mitchell Starc for 1, both caught behind by Litton Das. Then came the decisive blow, when Steven Smith, Australia’s last real hope, slogged straight to a fielder to fall for 71. The sixth wicket followed soon after, Nathan Lyon top edging a pull to midwicket to end the innings.
The supporting cast
Mahmud did not do it alone. Ebadot Hossain maintained relentless pressure with 2 for 39, removing the out of form Marnus Labuschagne cheaply when the batter edged to second slip, where captain Najmul Hossain Shanto held a sharp catch. Ebadot also cleaned up Alex Carey for 19.
Taskin Ahmed claimed 2 for 55, the pick of his wickets a superb delivery that seamed away late to bowl Beau Webster for 12. Cameron Green fell to Taskin as well, caught by Mushfiqur Rahim at midwicket after a sharp tumbling take.
Remarkably, it meant Bangladesh’s fast bowlers had taken all ten wickets in a Test innings for only the second time in the nation’s history, the first coming in the second Test in Rawalpindi in 2024, where Mahmud also claimed a five wicket haul.
Smith’s lone resistance
For Australia, the day belonged to one man. Steven Smith’s 71 off 109 balls, featuring seven fours and a six, was the only innings of real substance. He brought up his 45th Test fifty and looked set for a big score before Mahmud’s second spell ended his resistance. Around him, the batting crumbled, and Australia were dismissed for their lowest ever total against Bangladesh.
A historic feat, in context
The significance of day one is hard to overstate. Australia returned to Test cricket on the back of a 4-1 Ashes win over England, with their first choice attack reunited and expectations high. To be dismissed for 198 inside a single day, in conditions of their own choosing, is a result very few predicted.
For Bangladesh, it was exactly the disciplined, aggressive pace performance their fans have been waiting to see on foreign soil. Captain Shanto had spoken before the match about bounce being the key in Australian conditions, and his bowlers executed that plan to near perfection.
What happens next
The challenge now shifts to Bangladesh’s batters. The team’s top order collapsed for 54 in their warm up match, and the task of negotiating Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins on a bouncy surface remains the biggest hurdle between the Tigers and a genuinely winning position.
If the batters can build a meaningful lead, Bangladesh will have a real chance to complete one of the most memorable results in their Test history. Day one handed them the dream start. Now they must finish the job.
