By splitting the job cleanly between two bowlers who never really needed to overlap at all. Hasan Mahmud’s disciplined seam did the early damage in Australia’s first innings, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s off-spin finished the job entirely in the second, and that clean division let Bangladesh bowl out the world’s top-ranked Test team twice inside just four days of cricket. The result was a commanding nine-wicket win in the Darwin Test that ended a 23-year wait for a maiden Bangladeshi victory on Australian soil.
Bangladesh’s Historic First Test Win in Australia
Bangladesh had lost both of their previous Tests on Australian soil back in 2003, by an innings and 132 runs in Darwin and again by an innings and 98 runs in Cairns. That 23-year gap ended in style: Bangladesh posted 426 after bowling Australia out for 198, built a 228-run lead, then dismissed the hosts again for 284, leaving a target of just 57 that they chased down comfortably in 14.2 overs.
It was only their second Test win over Australia ever, after a narrow 20-run victory in Mirpur back in 2017. Former opener Tamim Iqbal called it the greatest win in Bangladesh’s entire cricket history, and it arrived just days after the same touring group had been bowled out for a meagre 54 in a tour warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI.
Bangladesh Australia Test Series 2026 Bowling
The result came from Bangladesh’s bowling functioning as a system rather than a collection of individual efforts. In the first innings, seamers Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed shared all ten wickets between them, only the second time Bangladesh’s pace attack has ever swept an entire innings. Mehidy didn’t need to bowl a single wicket-taking over that innings.
Bowler | Innings | Wickets/Runs | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
Hasan Mahmud | 1st | 6/55 | 3.24 |
Hasan Mahmud | 2nd | 3/56 | 2.95 |
Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 2nd | 5/66 | 1.99 |
Ebadot Hossain | 1st | 2/39 | 3.55 |
Taskin Ahmed | 1st | 2/55 | 3.44 |
How Mehidy and Mahmud Broke Australia
Mahmud’s 6 for 55 in the first innings was a career-best and the finest figures ever recorded by a Bangladesh bowler against Australia. He cut through the top order with disciplined seam movement in humid conditions, while Steve Smith held things together with a defiant 71 as wickets fell around him. Australia’s 198 stood as their lowest Test total against Bangladesh.
Mehidy took over in the second innings, bowling 33.1 overs of off-spin at an economy of exactly 2.00. He had Alex Carey caught behind for 30, bowled Beau Webster through the gate, took Pat Cummins via a bat-pad catch, and trapped Nathan Lyon lbw to close out the innings. It was his 15th Test five-wicket haul and his third away from home, making him the first Bangladesh spinner to reach that mark overseas.
What Went Wrong With Australia’s Batting
Australia’s second innings unravelled around Cameron Green’s lone resistance. Jake Weatherald went for a duck, Marnus Labuschagne fell for 31 to Taijul Islam, and Smith was caught and bowled by Mehidy for 44, leaving the hosts three down for just 73 runs.
Green then built an innings of real quality, 104 off 192 balls with four boundaries and a six, but got almost nothing from the rest of the order around him. Carey made 30, Webster 12, and Cummins 8 before Mahmud found Green’s gate with a delivery that kept low, and the tail folded soon after. The 228-run first-innings deficit proved far too heavy for any single innings to overcome.
Why This Win Changes Bangladesh’s Away Record
Before Darwin, Bangladesh had won only six Tests outside Asia, in New Zealand, Zimbabwe multiple times, and Ireland, but never in England, South Africa, the West Indies, or Australia. Beating an Australian side that had won 18 of its previous 23 home Tests reshapes that record considerably.
It also shows how far this bowling unit has developed. Bangladesh arrived without spearhead Nahid Rana, yet the combination of Mahmud’s seam, Mehidy’s off-spin, and support from Ebadot and Taskin proved perfectly suited to Darwin’s conditions, exploiting the new ball early and Australia’s discomfort against quality spin late. That is exactly why the Bangladesh Australia Test series 2026 bowling performance is already being talked about as one of the great away wins in the team’s history.
Which of these two bowling performances impressed you more, Mahmud’s seam or Mehidy’s spin? Let us know below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Had Bangladesh ever beaten Australia in a Test before 2026?
Yes, once before: a 20-run win in Mirpur back in 2017. The Darwin Test was still their first-ever Test victory on Australian soil after 23 years of trying.
How many wickets did Mehidy Hasan Miraz take in Darwin?
He took five wickets in the second innings alone, finishing with figures of 5 for 66. He didn’t bowl a wicket-taking over in the first innings, when Bangladesh’s seamers shared all ten.
What was Australia’s lowest score in the Darwin Test?
Australia were bowled out for just 198 runs in their first innings of the match. That stood as their lowest-ever Test total against Bangladesh in the two teams’ shared history.
Who scored a century for Australia in the Darwin Test?
Cameron Green scored 104 off 192 balls in the second innings. Despite his century, Australia could only set Bangladesh a target of 57 runs to win.
Why is this win considered so significant for Bangladesh cricket?
It was only Bangladesh’s second Test win over Australia ever, and their first in Australia. Australia were ranked the world’s top Test side and had reached the last two WTC finals.