United News of Bangladesh

Najmul Hossain Shanto believes Bangladesh’s historic Test victory over Australia in Darwin was the result of a change in mindset particularly among the pacers.  Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, just days after being bowled out for 54 by a Cricket Australia XI in their warm-up match. “Very happy, proud of myself and the way the boys played. We did a lot of hard work,” Shanto said after the win. He pointed to the changing attitude toward fast bowling in Bangladesh’s Test cricket. “That is the biggest change for Bangladesh in Test format,” he said. “Earlier, five years ago, pacers didn’t want to play Tests. But we have 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.” Bangladesh’s fast bowlers set up the victory. Hasan Mahmud took six wickets in Australia’s first innings of 198 and added three more in the second innings. Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain also played their part. Hasan, named player of the match for his nine wickets, said Bangladesh focused on its plans rather than the result. “Before the match, in the practice session, we were doing our best every second and believed in ourselves without thinking of the outcome,” he said. “We got some team plans with the coaches, watching videos, and that’s what we did at the ground.” Australia captain Pat Cummins said the damage was done on the opening day. “Probably that day one,” Cummins said when asked where the match was lost. “I thought our prep was spot on, no excuses. They played well. We had to find a way to bat longer and then we couldn’t penetrate with the ball.” He credited Bangladesh for the way they played. “They outplayed us in all facets, they were patient and disciplined,” Cummins said. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who scored 65 in Bangladesh’s first innings and took five wickets in Australia’s second, said belief was crucial. “We had the belief,” he said. “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.” Bangladesh’s 426 was built around Tanzid Hasan’s maiden Test century, Shanto’s 84 and useful contributions from Mominul Haque and Mehidy. The lower order then added valuable runs to give Bangladesh a 228-run lead. Australia were bowled out for 284 in their second innings, leaving Bangladesh a target of 57. Mominul and Shadman Islam completed the chase in 14.2 overs. Shanto said Bangladesh would need the same discipline in the second Test in Mackay. “We have to play five days of good cricket,” he said. “If we play session by session, if the lower order keeps chipping in, those are the things.”  

Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets in Darwin on Sunday to secure one of the biggest Test wins in their history. Chasing 57, Bangladesh reached 53 for 1 in 14.2 overs, with Mominul Haque unbeaten on 26 and Shadman Islam on 25. The victory came 23 years after Bangladesh last played a Test in Australia. It also capped a remarkable turnaround after they were bowled out for 54 by a Cricket Australia XI in their tour match last week.  

Bangladesh are 57 runs away from a historic Test victory after bowling Australia out for 284 in their second innings in Darwin. Australia added 123 runs to their overnight total on Sunday but lost their last six wickets for 123 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took five wickets, while Hasan Mahmud took three to finish with nine in the match. Australia resumed on 161 for 4, with Cameron Green and Alex Carey at the crease. Green made 87 before Hasan Mahmud bowled him for the ninth wicket at 278. Miraz had earlier dismissed Carey for 49, Beau Webster for 15 and Pat Cummins for 14, after removing Steven Smith for 44 on Saturday. He then trapped Nathan Lyon lbw for 15 to end the innings at 284. Bangladesh had bowled Australia out for 198 in the first innings before making 426, taking a 228-run lead. Tanzid Hasan made his maiden Test century, while Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 84 and Miraz made 65. Hasan Mahmud took six wickets in Australia’s first innings and three in the second. Taskin Ahmed took the other wicket. Bangladesh now need 57 runs in their fourth innings to secure what would be their first Test win over Australia.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz put Bangladesh in a strong position on the fourth morning in Darwin, taking three wickets as Australia reached 243 for 7 at lunch, a lead of 15. Australia added 82 runs in 31 overs in the morning session but lost Alex Carey, Beau Webster and captain Pat Cummins. Cameron Green remained unbeaten on 85, while Mitchell Starc was 14 not out. The pair have added 36 for the eighth wicket. Miraz has taken four wickets in Australia’s second innings, including all three wickets to fall on Sunday morning. He found sharp turn and bounce from the Darwin surface to trouble Australia’s batters. Green, who resumed on 43, has been Australia’s main source of resistance. He has faced 151 balls and hit six fours. Australia began the day on 161 for 4, still 67 runs behind Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 426. Bangladesh had earned that advantage after bowling Australia out for 198 on the opening day. Tanzid Hasan then made his maiden Test century, while Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 84 and Mehidy made 65. Australia lost four wickets on the third day but Green and Carey held firm to take them to stumps at 161 for 4. Miraz said at lunch that he had focused on bowling in the right areas rather than constantly searching for wickets. “I wanted to keep things simple,” Miraz told former Australia fast bowler and commentator Brendon Julian. “There are a lot of footmarks outside off stump, so I tried to bowl there. I didn’t look for a wicket every over. On a pitch like this, discipline is important.” Asked whether Bangladesh had planned to beat Australia before the Test, Miraz said the team had prepared well and saw the match as a major opportunity. “We thought this was a great opportunity for us,” he said. “If we can beat them, it will be good for our country and for the players.”

Bangladesh remain in front in the first Test in Darwin, but Australia finally found some stability with the bat on the third day. Australia closed on 161 for 4, still 67 runs behind Bangladesh’s 426, with Cameron Green unbeaten on 43 and Alex Carey on 19. The pair shared an unbroken 39-run stand to see Australia safely through the final session. Bangladesh added 75 runs to their overnight total on Saturday before being bowled out for 426. Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 65, while Taskin Ahmed remained unbeaten on 14. Josh Hazlewood took 6 for 89, completing a six-wicket haul that limited Bangladesh’s lead to 228. Bangladesh’s first innings was led by Tanzid Hasan’s maiden Test century. The opener made 101, while captain Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 84 and Mominul Haque 49. Mushfiqur Rahim added 36 as Bangladesh built a commanding first-innings advantage. Australia then suffered another poor start. Hasan Mahmud removed Travis Head for 17 and Jake Weatherald for a duck, leaving the hosts 37 for 2. Taijul Islam dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for 31 before Mehidy removed Steven Smith for 44 at 122 for 4. Green and Carey then dug in. Green has faced 86 balls and struck two fours, while Carey has made 19 from 50 balls. Hasan Mahmud finished the day with 2 for 33, while Taijul and Mehidy took one wicket apiece. Australia’s recovery was a marked improvement after they were bowled out for 198 on the opening day. But Bangladesh still have the advantage, with Australia needing another 67 runs just to draw level.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was unbeaten on 65 as Bangladesh reached 417 for 8 at lunch on the third day of the first Test against Australia on Saturday, stretching their lead to 219 runs. Miraz and Taskin Ahmed added 45 without being separated in the morning session, putting on their fifth partnership of more than 40 runs in the innings. Miraz has faced 152 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Taskin is 12 not out from 22 balls. Australia managed only two wickets in the 23-over session, both taken by Josh Hazlewood. Hasan Mahmud and Taijul Islam were dismissed as Bangladesh lost their seventh and eighth wickets. Australia also missed two chances off Pat Cummins. Steven Smith and Travis Head both put down catches. Miraz finished the session in style, hitting Cameron Green for six over the boundary. His partnership with Taskin has taken Bangladesh closer to a lead of 250. Bangladesh resumed the day on 351 for 6 after Tanzid Hasan’s 101, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 84 and Mominul Haque’s 49 helped them build a strong position. They had started the innings 102 runs behind Australia, who were bowled out for 198 on the first day. Australia now face the prospect of having to chase a large deficit in their second innings, with Bangladesh still two wickets away from completing their first innings.  

Tanzid Hasan hit his maiden Test century on Friday as Bangladesh took a commanding 88-run lead over Australia at tea on the second day of the first Test in Darwin. Bangladesh reached 286 for 3 at tea, with Tanzid’s 101 off 197 balls playing a key role in putting the visitors firmly in control after Australia were bowled out for 198 on Thursday. Tanzid reached 100 from 188 balls, pushing Nathan Lyon to long-off for a single. He was out soon after for 101 from 197 balls, with eight fours and a six. It was only Tanzid’s second Test, but he played with little sign of being overawed by Australia’s attack. He resumed on 32 not out after Bangladesh had finished the first day on 96 for 1, 102 runs behind Australia’s 198. Tanzid and Mominul Haque put on 102 for the second wicket before Mominul fell for 49. Their partnership came four runs short of Bangladesh’s highest second-wicket stand in Australia, the 108 between Habibul Bashar and Hannan Sarkar in Cairns in 2003. Tanzid reached his fifty from 102 balls, hitting five fours. He needed only 86 more balls for his second fifty, adding three fours and a six. He drove well, played confidently off the back foot and twice took on Beau Webster, including a six down the ground. There was one let-off. Tanzid was on 62 when Steven Smith could not hold a chance at slip Smith had described the pitch as “tricky” after Australia were bowled out for 198 on Thursday. Bangladesh’s batters have so far offered little evidence of that, with Tanzid, Mominul and Najmul Hossain Shanto all batting comfortably.  

Just a week ago, Bangladesh were bowled out twice in an innings defeat by a Cricket Australia XI, raising plenty of questions about how they would cope when the real Test began. A start like this would have been difficult to imagine. Bangladesh dismissed Australia for 198 on Thursday, then reached 96 for 1 by stumps on the opening day of the first Test in Darwin. They have already erased almost half of Australia's total and still have their middle order to come. Hasan Mahmud set up the day with a career-best 6 for 55, while Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed took two wickets each. Australia, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, were never able to build a substantial innings on a surface that had about 4 millimeters of grass at the start of play. Jake Weatherald and Travis Head fell to Hasan in the first 14 overs, and Marnus Labuschagne was out for 1 to Ebadot. Australia were 74 for 4 at lunch, with Steven Smith the only batter offering sustained resistance. Smith made 71 from 109 balls, but Australia's innings fell away after his partnership with Alex Carey had taken the score to 129. Hasan returned late in the innings to remove Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Smith and Nathan Lyon, completing his six-for as Australia were bowled out in 53 overs. Bangladesh then made the most of their opportunity. Shadman Islam fell for 20 after adding 36 with Tanzid Hasan, but Australia struggled to make another breakthrough. Tanzid and Mominul Haque put on an unbeaten 60 for the second wicket, seeing Bangladesh through the final 15.4 overs without a further wicket. Tanzid finished on 32 not out from 67 balls and Mominul on 35 from 49. Bangladesh scored at four runs an over against an attack featuring Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. There is a long way to go in the Test, and Australia will have plenty of opportunities to recover. But after the tour-match defeat last week, Bangladesh could hardly have asked for a better first day.

Hasan Mahmud took six wickets as Bangladesh bowled Australia out for 198 on the opening day of the first Test in Darwin on Thursday. Hasan finished with 6 for 55 from 17 overs, taking six of Australia’s last eight wickets after returning to the attack late in the innings. He removed both openers early, then came back to break Australia’s lower order. Jake Weatherald made 23 before edging Hasan to Litton Das behind the stumps. Four overs later, Travis Head was bowled for 22 after chopping a length delivery back onto his stumps. Marnus Labuschagne fell to Ebadot Hossain for 1, leaving Australia 61 for 3. Cameron Green was then caught behind off Taskin Ahmed for 13, but Steven Smith and Alex Carey steadied the innings. Smith made 71 from 109 balls, with seven fours and a six. He and Carey added 55 for the fifth wicket before Carey was bowled by Ebadot for 19. Taskin removed Beau Webster for 12, but Hasan returned with Australia 152 for 6 and quickly worked through the tail. Pat Cummins edged behind for 9, before Mitchell Starc nicked a full delivery angled across him for 1. Smith, who had reached his half-century from 76 balls, charged Hasan and skied a catch to Litton for 71. Hasan completed his six-for by dismissing Nathan Lyon for 7, who top-edged a pull to midwicket. Australia were all out for 198 in 53 overs. Taskin finished with 2 for 55 and Ebadot took 2 for 39.

Bangladesh are set to qualify directly for the 2027 ODI World Cup after Afghanistan’s win over Ireland strengthened their position in the ICC ODI rankings. The qualification list will not be official until the rankings cutoff on Sept. 30. But with less than seven weeks to go, Bangladesh are in the top eight and cannot realistically be overtaken. The top eight teams in the ODI rankings on Sept. 30, excluding the two host nations, will qualify directly for the World Cup. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified as co-hosts. Afghanistan secured a place in the top eight by beating Ireland by three wickets in Belfast on Sunday. The result left Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the eight direct-qualification spots. Bangladesh are therefore on course to avoid the qualifying tournament and go straight into the World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. Their place will be confirmed after the Sept. 30 cutoff. West Indies, meanwhile, will have to take the longer route. The two-time world champions are ranked 10th and cannot break into the top eight even if they win their two remaining ODIs against India before the cutoff. They will have to play in the World Cup Qualifier in February and March next year. It will be the third consecutive World Cup cycle in which West Indies have had to go through the qualifiers. They failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup after finishing fifth in the Super Six stage, missing the tournament for the first time in their history. That failure also kept them out of the 2025 Champions Trophy, a tournament they have not played since 2013. The 2027 Qualifier will include West Indies and Ireland, the two lowest-ranked non-host Full Members, along with teams advancing from World Cup League 2 and the Qualifier Playoff. The qualification route has also changed. The Qualifier winner will advance directly to the second round of the World Cup, while the teams finishing second through fourth will enter a Super Series. The winner of that series will also advance to the second round. Bangladesh, barring a late change in the rankings, will not have to take that route.