History for Bangladesh as they beat Australia in Darwin

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

Pop quiz! What's in your kids' lunchbox? At Whole Foods Market, they've already done the studying. Over 300 food ingredients are banned from their shelves. No hydrogenated fats in the peanut butter, and no high fructose corn syrup in the cookies. And for sandwiches, there are no synthetic nitrates or nitrites in any of their deli meat. So you can pack lunchboxes with peace of mind. Get back to school ready at Whole Foods Market.

You're listening to the TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

Hello and welcome to a bonus edition of the Test Match Special Podcast. This is Henry Moran. In this episode, we're heading to Darwin for reaction to one of the great shocks in Test match cricket history. After Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets to record their first Test victory down under, we'll be hearing from player of the match Hassan Mahmood, captains Najmal Hussain Shanto and Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and also the thoughts of former Australian Test cricketers Jason Gillespie, Ed Cowan, and Xavier Doherty. But first, the moment of history described at Marara Oval by Jim Maxwell.

Mominal's got the strike. And one of the senior players in this side. Will he be the one that finds the boundary, or will they, à la the old days, just get him in singles? There's plenty of time, but though they're so full of adrenaline, they want to finish this. They don't want to be hanging about the place. Get it over with. Webster around the wicket, and he cuts, and that's going down towards the boundary. That could be it.

That will be it.

Bangladesh have won the game. Won the game by 9 wickets. It's without doubt one of the great, if not the greatest upset in the history of Test cricket. Bangladesh have been looked upon as a minnow, as an underling really in the world of Test match cricket, particularly away from home. And their supporters are up and cheering here in Darwin. So remember that. Bangladesh beat Australia In Test cricket in Australia, in Darwin. That puts Darwin on the map as a Test venue too. They've won this game with a couple of legs in the air. They won by 9 wickets with Mominal striking the ball away to the boundary to reach 30. And this is as big a win as Bangladesh have ever had, and probably one of the more embarrassing defeats that Australia have ever suffered in Test cricket. They came here with everyone saying, well, will it last 3 days? 2 and a half, maybe that'll be enough. And here we are on the 4th day, halfway through the 4th day, and Bangladesh have beaten Australia in their home patch by 9 wickets. Certainly their biggest victory since coming into Test cricket in the year 2000. And for Australia, a little bit of thinking to do before we get to Makai. Congratulations to Bangladesh, that is a huge performance.

Thoroughly outplayed Australia. The Bangladeshi— this Bangladesh cricket team played good. We've talked about it, good old-fashioned Test cricket. It's been absolutely superb and they deserve to celebrate. The Bangladesh supporters here, Jimbo, that you mentioned, the flags waving. Imagine the scenes in Bangladesh. Imagine the scenes in Dhaka, Chattergram.

Well, it's only 150,000 people in Darwin. There's about 180 million in Bangladesh.

Oh, it'd be extraordinary scenes. And, and look, they deserve to celebrate it because their, their team, their country have played excellent Test match cricket here in Darwin and thoroughly deserve this victory. They should, they should deservedly celebrate it. Bit of thinking to do for the Australians.

There are congratulations and felicitations all over the place with the umpires and the players mingling on the field. And we're going to, of course, cover the end-of-match presentation and tell you a bit more about what's occurred here via the captains and the player awarded Man of the Match. And very graciously, the Bangladesh players coming out to acknowledge what has happened here against the much-vaunted Australian team. And they put them to the sword. They have completely outplayed Australia to have a huge victory here, souveniring a few stumps as they go.

Yeah, and why not? It's a momentous occasion for these Bangladesh players.

So let's go down to our grandstand at afternoon teas and stumps. Corbin Middlemass.

It's as great an upset as the game has ever seen. Bangladesh come to Australia and beat Australia. They outplay the number 1 ranked team in the world across 4 days to win by 9 wickets. Welcome to Grandstand at Stumps. Corbin Middlemass, Phil Jaques, Xavier Doherty on the boundary's edge, and I'm very pleased to say we're joined by Steve Smith from the Australian cricket team. Steve, first of all, hard luck on the back of 4 days of Test cricket. What happened across these 4 days in Darwin?

Oh, pretty simple. We were outplayed. Um, yeah, I thought Bangladesh bowled really well the first morning, uh, really disciplined. Uh, our batters probably weren't disciplined enough. Um, and then, yeah, second innings, they, they batted really nicely, um, got too many in front. And, uh, yeah, we weren't able to catch it up yesterday on, you know, what was a pretty decent wicket to bat on. Um, a couple of us got starts and didn't go on with it. Greeny, I thought, played really nicely to get 100, but, um, Yeah, he didn't have any partners to go with him. Um, yeah, we needed probably 200 at least plus to, to be in the game there. And yeah, as I said, got outplayed.

You're an aging team, you got an average age of 33 and a half, but you're the number 1 ranked team in the world for a reason. They're the number 9 ranked team in the world. They've never pulled off an upset anywhere near this in the, in the history of Test cricket. You can imagine some of the reaction that will come for the team at the start of a huge Test cycle. What is the appropriate level of analysis, do you think, to give to this? Is it just one bad week, or is there something more that you can take out of what's happened here?

Yeah, I mean, I hope it's one bad week. Um, yeah, I mean, we're the number one team for a reason. We've played really good consistent cricket over a long period of time, and yeah, this week was a bit of a blip. And you know, we got outplayed. They, they played really nicely, so you got to give credit to, to Bangladesh. Um, yeah, we could have done things a lot better, uh, but yeah, credit goes to them for the, the way they played throughout these last 4 days.

We obviously haven't seen the team in Test cricket for 8 months. What did you do in preparation to be right to go here in Darwin?

Oh, we had lots of good training in Brisbane. The bowlers have been bowling up there for the last 5 weeks, I think it is. We had a camp last week that, you know, went for 6 or 7 days. Guys were hitting numerous amount of balls. I actually thought I probably hit too many at this stage of my career, but it was— yeah, look, we We prepared as well as we could for this. There's no doubting our preparation. I think we did all of that, we just didn't turn up and play the game that we wanted. And as I said, we got outplayed.

You just touched on the preparation, Samaj. I guess looking back, the questions will be asked, is the preparation— you said it was good coming in, but you get judged on your results. Would you change that? Would you play a competitive match like your opposition did, albeit it didn't go well for them, but they got those those cobwebs out of the way, which seemingly probably wasn't the case with the batting group in particular?

I think you'll have to ask the coaching staff and stuff that question, but I think all the players felt like they were prepared to come and play this Test match. Yeah, it didn't pan out well for us, but yeah, we're a good side. You know, it's one bad week, we'll recover from it, and we'll come back strong next week.

From a batting perspective, Smudge, obviously not enough runs first innings from a team perspective. As I guess the leader of our batting unit, and you scored some runs out there in that first innings and did quite well, what does this Australian team need to do in Mackay in that first innings to set the game up that little bit better? Obviously runs are important, but is there something you need to do to change the method about how you guys went about things in this first innings?

I think it's just playing the conditions. That first morning was pretty tricky. It was seaming around a bit. It was a bit soft underfoot. And they bowled really well. So yeah, I think a few of us probably could have been a little bit more disciplined in our shot selection. But yeah, we'll learn from it, we'll keep moving forward, and yeah, we'll come back next week hopefully stronger.

Smudge, Cam Green, obviously a very impressive knockout there today under extreme pressure. I guess the change rooms would have been proud of, you know, I guess understanding that sort of pressure, given that most players would know what it's like. to sort of be under the pump for you, for your spot in the team. Just a word on, on how you saw that.

Yeah, he was great. I thought he came out yesterday with, um, you know, really solid intent. Uh, his feet were moving really nicely, he was getting into the ball really well, and I think that's when he's at his best. He's nice and confident, um, you know, he goes through his routines that he does, and, you know, he was very clear in the way he wanted to go about it. And yeah, I thought it was a really good innings, and I'm sure he's going to take a great deal of confidence from it.

Steve, appreciate your time. Uh, hard luck here. We'll catch you in Makai.

Thank you.

Cheers. Steve Smith, one of the all-time greats from the Australian cricket team. He obviously made 71, a top score for Australia in their, uh, meager total of 198 batting first, and then he also made 44 in the second dig. Uh, what a result. Uh, a chance for us to react to it now. Grandstand at Stumps on ABC Sport. Bangladesh have beaten Australia by 9 wickets. They outplayed and outthought them across the 4 days. They won every session and just about every moment. It was as comprehensive As it could possibly be. Corbin Middlemouse, Xavier Doherty, Phil Jacques, and Jason Gillespie along for the ride as we pick it all apart. You can probably hear the noise from the Bangladeshi fans. A few of the dignitaries have just made their way out, uh, to join the team, uh, some of those from the, uh, administration, some of those government officials that are out here for this particular event. Um, this is a moment, Dizzy. I know you spent a lot of time in, in Asia in your, your coaching journey and your cricketing, uh, career.

Yeah.

the, the disappointment from Australia to one side, what a moment for the game.

Oh, without a doubt, this is a momentous occasion. And can you imagine what it would be like in the streets of, uh, in Bangladesh at the moment? Big crowds would be cheering, everyone would be so happy. We've got this small contingent of Bangladesh fans here. There's a big sign up there saying Bangladesh, the white flags, white national flag waving. This is huge. This is absolutely huge. It is great for the game of Test cricket. I mean, the number 1 side in the world against the 9th team in the world, and not just beaten, Corby.

Yep.

This is, this is a thorough thrashing. 9 wickets is a significant win in a, in a, in any Test match. People were wondering whether it was going to get to the 3rd or 4th day because they were assuming that Australia were going to win in that time. Bangladesh have beaten Australia by 9 wickets in 3 and a half days. That's huge.

And the guys who, you know, names a lot of cricket fans would have been learning this week. Hasan Mahmood ends up with 9 wickets for the match, 6 in the first innings. Uh, Mahedi Hasan Miraz, who's the world's 3rd highest ranked all-rounder, well, he proved it here. He got runs, he took a fiver in the 2nd dig, was spectacular. 100 for Tanzid Hasan, who's a fringe player, comes out, scores a ton. And then even Shadman Islam and, uh, and Mohammad Al Haq would be able to guide them home at the end and they were able to whip up the last 57 that they needed, uh, for the loss of only 1 wicket. So a dominant 9-wicket victory for, uh, for Bangladesh. Phil Jaques, it was incredible planning and execution to be able to see that cause and effect between this is what we want to do and then to be able to go out there and carry it out and play from in front for such large periods, knowing the carrot at the end and knowing what was at stake for the country. Um, what a, what a professional victory from, uh, from, from Bangladesh.

Yeah, well summed up, Corby. Uh, it was a, a well-planned, a well-led, and a well-executed, um, game plan from the Bangladeshis. They, they stuck to their plan the entire game, uh, with bat and ball, and, and executed better than Australia did. It's as simple as that. They played the conditions really well. They, um, they've got highly talented side, but they— what they did really, really well was they stuck to their plans and they stuck to their guns.

And remember as well, Jake, they, they were coming off a practice match where they got bowled out for 54 in their second innings. Um, so there would have been a couple of butterflies, a few question marks there for sure.

Oh, they would have been super nervous, super nervous leading into this, especially seeing the wicket first morning and it was fresh. And then, and then Australia batted and they think— they said, thank you, thank you very much, Merry Christmas, um, happy birthday, happy birthday, and all of that. Um, and then effectively bowled really well and then And then batted the house down in their, in their go.

Corb, I want to go back to your comment about Australian cricket fans not knowing much about the Bangladesh— I didn't know much about them. You know, they're not a team that we get to see very often. You sort of, you see highlights, and you know, when they get their win over Pakistan, you sort of see their players. But to actually see them in person and get to know them and, and watch how they go about their, their Test cricket, like, that was, that was a performance, wasn't it? Like, they played proper old school, and I know this crew here that were standing on the boundary line really enjoyed that old school Test cricket. It was so impressive, and And so great that, you know, we were here to witness it and be able to follow their careers now knowing that we've seen them in the flesh.

Spot on. And they deserve to celebrate this and soak up this atmosphere. The atmosphere's been absolutely brilliant here at Marara Oval in Darwin. And, you know, full credit to NT Cricket for putting this on. They've been absolutely brilliant. The fans that have come out, best part of 20,000 people have come out over these 3 and a half days. I think it's been superb. It's been a great Test match experience for everyone.

We're so lucky to work with Jim Maxwell, and, uh, I've— I often sit in the back of the box when Jim's commentating and he talks about Alan McGilvray, and I, I hope that I'm lucky enough to do this for a number of years, and I'm sure we'll talk about Jim the same way that he talks about McGilvray and all the stuff that we, uh, we learned from him. But to think about what a historian that Jim is and how much he loves the history of the game well before he commentated, and then in his life as a commentator, which is 50-plus years that he's been doing it, and Jim's saying that this is as big an upset in the history of the game that he's seen. I know us, you know, that are relative newcomers in that sense, or the younger brigade, for example, we have a tendency to say, oh, the latest, the greatest, and everything else. But really, when you look at some of the biggest upsets you can think of, this belongs right there at the top with any of them. To think that the 9th-ranked team in the world, Bangladesh, who were really You know, a joke and a meme as such for, uh, for, for cricket fans around the world. To come here and beat Australia, the number 1 ranked team in the world, with a bunch of future Hall of Famers in their own backyard, it's, it's as big an upset as Test cricket can produce.

Yeah, there's no understating it. It's a huge upset. Um, you know, they've, they've got a few scalps along the way, Bangladesh, and, and they've been a, um, a much improved team. However, to beat Australia in Australia is no mean feat.

It's an unbelievable victory, and, and it's a massive Well, and, and you think about Test cricket, it's not 90 minutes of football, you know, it's— you've got to do it over 5 days, you know. It's, it's not easy to produce an upset when it, when it goes for such a long period of time, you know. This great Australian team have got so many opportunities to try and fight their way back into the game, and Bangladesh just kept the foot on the throat. They didn't allow them any of that. So yeah, you talk about upsets and upsets in, in other sports, this is so much harder, the fact that it goes so long.

And the various versions of the game, there's The longer the sample size, the less likely you are to, to get an upset where, you know, class can tell over time. And yet they've done that here in the Test arena. Hasan Mahmood is the man of the match. We can join the presentation. He's with Adam Gilchrist.

Congratulations, mate. Well, let me start by saying, can you believe what you and your team have just achieved?

Yeah, I think, you know, before the match in a practice session, we've been, we've been doing our best in every day and every second. And we keep on our mind that whatever has happened, just Be on yourself and follow the process and don't think about the outcome. Whatever happened, we have to go like play, play for the 5 days and then results will come.

Yeah, we got the job done in 4 days. Coming into the game, did you look at that batting lineup for Australia, of which there's some highly recognized players? Did you have any specific individual plans mapped out or was it a more generic team plan?

Yeah, we got some team plans, you know, sitting with the Team guys and coaches, you know, watching the videos and make plans where are we going through. And then we did the same in, in the ground.

And the conditions here, you would have enjoyed bowling first on that wicket. It's okay to have grass there, but you've still got to go out and execute. You must be really thrilled with, with your patience and persistence on day 1.

Yeah, I think, uh, every bowler has done very good with their patience and with the process they followed. That's just be on the line and lend and keep going it. And then results is here now.

All right, and what about back home in Bangladesh? Friends and family, they'll be celebrating?

Yeah, obviously they got very happy for me. And obviously my people in town is very happy. They'll see me back in Bangladesh and they will be celebrating.

Yeah, deservedly so. Well, congratulations, mate. We'll see you in Makai.

Thank you so much.

There you go, the man of the match there, 9 wickets, Hasan Mahmud. Now we'll call on Pat Cummins, captain of Australia. Pat, mate, obviously hasn't gone your way. I guess it's early days yet, but is there any area you can pinpoint that the defeat started? Was it day 1? Was it preparation, which inevitably questions come up around that? You're not a team that panics, but where does your mind go to first?

Yeah, probably that day 1. You know, I thought our preparation was, you know, pretty much spot-on. I thought it was excellent. So yeah, no excuses. They played really well. You know, I thought the Day 1 wicket, there's a little bit in early, but obviously got to try and find a way to bat a little bit longer than we did. And then, um, yeah, just couldn't penetrate with the ball. But, um, you know, I thought they played really well.

Yeah, uh, the batting again, um, didn't quite capitalize on a few starts. Uh, not much time to turn it around. Does it— does the groups remain the same? Are there thoughts of any changes?

I think every time, uh, there's a game like this, you always kind of look at your matchups and, uh, you know, you, you make up with the team for the next one. But Yeah, we only just finished, so we'll have a think about it. You know, we're pretty good at bouncing back, so no doubt the batters and every group will get together and have a good think about this one and where we can improve.

Yeah, you're quick to acknowledge your opposition as well. They played very, very well.

Yeah, they did. I think they, yeah, outplayed us in all facets really. Yeah, I thought they were really patient and quite disciplined, and yeah, once we're behind, it was really hard to get back.

The shining lights, probably 2 that stand out: Josh Hazlewood Past 300, deservedly so. He's, uh, going to end one as one of the greats. And, uh, and Cam Green today, that's a very, very special moment, significant for him in his career perhaps.

Yeah, for both of them. You know, Joshy hasn't had a great run for injuries, um, the last couple of years, but he's, well, you know, one of the hardest workers. And, um, yeah, he just showed his class on a wicket that didn't have too much in it, you know, seam-wise, still picking up 6 really important wickets. So he was fantastic. And then Greeny, um, again, I thought, you know, those tempo this innings, he showed how good he is. Um, yeah, just needed a couple of us to hang around with him, but it was fantastic.

All right, mate. Well, uh, as I say, a few days' time, we'll be up to Mackay, and, uh, we'll see you on Saturday. All the best there, mate.

Thanks, Gil. Cheers, mate.

Yes, Pat Cummins. And now the victorious skipper, Najmul Hossain Shanto of Bangladesh. Congratulations, mate. Uh, well, first of all, uh, what a proud moment. You're the, the captain of a team to achieve, uh, something no one else has been able to do from Bangladesh, and that's win a Test match here on Australian soil. You must be Extremely proud.

Yeah, very happy and proud of myself and the way boys played. Really proud of that. And then we, we did a lot of hard work and, and really happy to win a side.

There's so much to talk about to you about such a fine victory. I want to go back to day 1, Hasan picking up 6 wickets and all 10 wickets going to seam bowlers. Was there a change in the mindset of Bangladesh cricket at any stage recently to to really hone those fast bowling skills and get a collection of fast bowlers, not just rely on spin?

Yeah, obviously I think that is the biggest change in Bangladesh cricket in Test format. Normally in 5-6 years before, the pace bowler don't want to play Test cricket because of we didn't enough chance to play Test cricket. But last 2-3 years we have been playing a lot of Test matches and boys are getting importance their Test format. So they, they now wanted to play and they wanted to perform. Because they wanted to be world-class. So that is the mindset I have there. And, and especially, especially the senior guy we have, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haq, they help them a lot to encourage to play Test cricket. So those are the areas they think and, and the mindset.

Amazing game for Tanzid, just his second Test match. Belief shown in him and he's came out and, and delivered.

Yeah, obviously I think he's exciting. If you look at his white-ball game, he always play attacking cricket, but in this Test match he shows his character. He was very calm and, and play merit of the ball. And then we all know he has that ability to play Test cricket. And as, as top-order batsman, we want someone to impact for, for the team, and he, he delivered this match.

Yeah, and so too did Mahedi as well. Uh, just tell me, uh, in the big picture, where does this rank? Is this Bangladesh cricket's finest ever moment?

Yeah, obviously I think this is the biggest, uh, win so far Bangladesh cricket in, in any format. We believe that. And, and going forward, we will do something special going future.

You'll do something special indeed. So there's belief you can not just win once. You think there's enough there, enough evidence that you can go on and take a clean sweep over in Makai?

Yes, we have that evidence, but we need to play good cricket. As I said before this Test match, we need to play 5 days of good cricket. So again, I am going to say the same thing— 5 days of cricket, need to play properly. And then as, as we did this Test match, follow the process and play session by session. Bowlers did their job. Batsmen chipped in, and especially the lower middle order and the lower order, the way they batted. So those are the things we need to play in in Macau.

Yeah, well, you led the team beautifully, mate. Congratulations to do a very proud moment, and enjoy your celebrations and all that happens back home in Bangladesh. I'm sure they'll be all wishing you the very best as well. Congratulations.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

There you go.

Very happy Bangladesh captain Adam Gilchrist there at the presentation, speaking with Najmul Shanto and the man of the match, Hasan Mahmood, also the captain of Australia in between there, Pat Cummins. Bangladesh have won the first test by 9 wickets. They've outplayed Australia across 4 days. A couple of things to call out here. Before that presentation took place, the whole Bangladesh team went into the rooms. There was a whole lot of noise and cheers that went on around it. They were on a FaceTime call to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Wow.

Who had called through immediately after the game to chat to the team. They have then come back out, and the 2, uh, dressing rooms here are located Uh, what would be sort of either side of the main grandstand. So if you've got that visual, huge grandstand which runs, uh, down the, the side of the ground, sort of square to the wicket, and they're at opposite ends, and the presentation is happening closer to where the Australian, uh, race is and their dressing room, and yet the entire team has come over to the presentation to basically listen to the captain speak and the man of the match, which is— they're just amazing scenes. You can, you can see it on the faces of these players how much this win Oh, without a doubt.

You imagine that, you get a FaceTime call from the Prime Minister immediately in the aftermath of a, of a wonderful Test victory. It looks like the, the team's heading over here, Corby. They're setting up some seats on the ground here. Yeah, at Marara. So they obviously want to get a—

An official photo.

An official photo to caption. And, and what a memory that will be for everyone that's involved with this Bangladesh side. Would it be absolutely brilliant?

Yeah, but not at the end of their careers, you know, 20 years. 40 years, 50 years, like, people, people who are here will remember it. Like, this is going to go down in history. And the fact that they've ducked in for a, a quick FaceTime to the Prime Minister suggests it, doesn't it? Like, this is a historical moment for, for Bangladesh cricket.

We'll pull apart this for the rest of the day, I'm sure. We've— we're on a time crunch though on our way out. So just to segue to the Aussies, we'll come back to the winners and, and Bangladesh. I asked this question earlier, what is the appropriate level of analysis here? So we're trying to not get caught too much in, you know, it's a catastrophe, it's a disaster, tear it all down. And also at the same time, I don't think you can be, hey, nothing to see here, and ignore the clues. So 4 days in a row, an aging team with an average age of 33.5 gets outplayed by the 9th-ranked team in the world at home. How should Australia sum this up when they get the chance to review these 4 days?

Well, you hear it all the time in footy, Corb, the, the loss you've got to have. And it happens in the, in the lead-in to finals when the big games really start to happen. Perhaps that's the view that Australia takes here. Is this the loss that, you know, the kick up the backside that Andrew McDonald and George Bailey and whoever else is involved in that meeting, they have is like, right, we need to actually reassess. And the kick up the bum to the 11 players or 12 players, whoever it might be as well, is like, right, we need to work a little bit harder here, you know. And clearly there was a shift in mindset change for the batters going into the second innings. The game was too far gone by then, but clearly there was a change, and I'm sure there'll be an even bigger change In their batting. They won't battle like that again in Mackay, the Australians. They won't come out and just throw it to the wind in the first innings. There was a mind shift change and a technique change and all those sorts of things. So yeah, there'll be fallout, but I think it's probably— they'll take it from a, you know, that good, that positive lens of, you know, maybe that's the kick up the bum we needed.

Did they take Bangladesh too lightly?

Look, it'd be easy to say that Wouldn't it? I, I, I think where they potentially got it wrong was the toss. Won the toss and decided to bat on— it was probably going to be— I think we all acknowledge it was probably going to be the best time to bowl in this match was the, the very first morning. But having said that, the, the surface looked pretty good, Jakey, didn't it? It looked, it looked like, yes, it was a typical, um, typical surface where you know it's going to offer some assistance early on, but then it settled down relatively quickly, didn't Yeah, I'm going to say it was a, a really good cricket wicket.

It was a good day 1 Test wicket. You wouldn't have been upset if you were opening the batting, um, and having to go out there, and you wouldn't be upset if you had the new ball in your hand. Um, they just didn't execute as well as they needed to on that first morning, and they, they were constantly behind the game. And we, as even commentators, were looking for that hour, 2 hours that Australia would break the game open, and it just never came. Um, Bangladesh outplayed us, um, In, in all facets.

Well, Bangladesh didn't allow Australia—

They didn't allow them to have that, no. Um, they, they constantly built another partnership. They didn't lose wickets in clumps, which is often what you see from this Bangladesh team. And, um, they just rebuilt every time they, they lost the wicket. They rebuilt, formed another partnership, took it a little bit deeper, brought the bowlers back again. And it was a— it really was a world-class performance from Bangladesh.

8 months is a long layoff, and you've got a bunch of guys in their mid to early 30s. And so the question will be there, and even if it's not, you know, the likely option, that there's a chance that, you know, at a certain point guys go off a cliff. It's what, it's what's happened in the history of the game. And so you, you wonder at a certain point, you know, after such a long layoff, is there a part that maybe the guys will never get back to their prime again or close to it? And, and that's what they'll have to try and sum up here with obviously a number of Test matches in front of them, because once they start happening, they come pretty thick and fast. So they've got Makai next. We don't expect them to make any knee-jerk, uh, sort of reactions or major changes for, uh, for the next Test starting on Saturday. But, um, geez, they'd want to get it together in a hurry, wouldn't they, after, uh, after what we saw here? Because as you touched on throughout the Test, Xavier, they had multiple chances where we thought, you know what, they'll flex here, they'll jump back on top, and it never came across 4 days of cricket.

No, it didn't. And it's only— time's going to be the only teller there, isn't it, Corb? You know, are they past it? You know, no doubt that there'll be some seeds of doubt within those 36, 37-year-olds' minds now that, yeah, I've had that layoff, you know, of coming back from an injury, whatever it might be. And I think that's just the human reaction. So that will sow a seed of doubt, but time will tell whether, whether they're gone. They, they have put a lot of trust in these guys, and they've played some very, very good cricket against some, some good cricket teams, um, in their careers. So, um, yeah, it's one game. Yeah, but that in 5 days' time will tell us, will tell us, you know, another story, I guess.

This is Grandstand at Stumps. Bangladesh have won by 9 wickets, as big an upset as Test cricket has ever seen here at Marara Oval in Darwin. Great to have you with us on ABC Sport. If you're catching up through the podcast feed, ABC Cricket Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts, Ed Cowan joins me each Monday as we pull apart the hot-button issues in the world of cricket. What we've incorporated as part of Grandstand at Stumps is Teddy's Thought of the Day, and here it is at the completion of day 4. This is what Ed Cowan has to say at the completion of the first test.

Oh, that is some historic win for Bangladesh. It's one of those moments that you pinch yourself and say, where was I when? There's so many moments to dissect in this game. I actually wish I was there helping you out on this one, but Podcast with Corb tomorrow. We've got a pretty endless agenda. The thought for the day that I just can't get out of my head today was that interview that Corbin had with Mitch Stark last night. Was it just me, or could you sense the frustration, maybe even a touch of embarrassment of this performance? And yet there was just a lack of vulnerability to to say that they got it wrong. And of course, it's not for the first time. That Australia have started slowly in Test series. If you think back to the Indian series, they were pathetic in Perth, lost that game. They were hopeless against England. They should have lost that game, all bar being saved by Travis Head. And of course, for fast bowlers, you can ease into a game or a series by the virtue of always getting another ball, but it seems like that psychology's almost leaked into that of the, the top 6. So I'm curious how long they're going to persist with, with not demanding big runs from their batters. And you, you got a bit of an insight from Nathan Lyon earlier in the game that the bowling group had lost a little bit of patience. I do wonder if this is the straw that breaks the camel's back on a selection philosophy of enduring. Can't wait to hear the breakdown.

That is Ed Cowan. Of course, you'll hear him in his entirety, uh, on the ABC Cricket Podcast on Monday with We'll pick up on a couple of those threads with our guys here— Xavier Doherty, Phil Jaques, Jason Gillespie, and myself, Corbin Middlemass— in just a moment on Grandstand at Stumps. But a break in what we're chatting about here to chat to the man of the moment. Hasan Mahmud joins us at the, uh, the completion of the Test. And you got a big gaudy medal around your neck, Hasan, on the back of, uh, winning Man of the Match honors. Congratulations! What does this moment mean for you and for Bangladesh cricket?

Oh, it's been amazing. You know, if you You win a Test match, it's, it's different. And if you opponent playing, you know, playing an opponent is one of the best team in the world, and you are the win the game and you feel different level.

Did you think this was possible when you came down to Australia?

Yeah, we was, we were just thinking of just, you know, getting better day by day and coming into the practice and, you know, follow your process and come to the game and think about session by session. And then it's ended up like this.

Hassan, what have you been working on with your bowling to improve, to be ready for this series against Australia?

Yeah, uh, we've been, we've been bowling and, uh, training, uh, so, so hard for, you know, especially fast bowlers. They're very much, uh, intent with their bowling and in the practice with the new ball and, you know, try to be on spot every time when they're, you know, doing their jobs. So You know, that's affecting the game as well, and we're very happy now.

Hasan, what— at what stage did you think you were going to win? What was there one moment where you thought, right, we are going to beat the Australians?

You know, for the first day, we actually, you know, starting to think about it. And, you know, once they win the toss and we're going to bowl first, that's the actually thing we getting started thinking that's— yeah, that's the moment we gotta keep on and we We gotta catch it out from the first ball. So that's how we, you know, going through all day.

Um, Hasan, great Test match, well done. Um, bowled beautifully in first innings, second innings. What does the celebration look like, um, beating Australia in Australia, uh, for this Bangladeshi team?

It's a huge thing for Bangladesh. I mean, uh, last couple of years you've been even trying, training hard and giving your best in every Test match, but you know You know, sometimes we don't get that much winning, but sometimes you take it as a, you know, growth. Somewhere you go and along your players with you and cheering up from the back. And you got some senior players in the game, in the team, and they're supporting each and every day. And that's how you grow.

Hasan, have you had a call from somebody very important Back home post-game.

Yeah, that's our prime minister. He just called on the video call and then everybody was cheering up.

What did he say?

He said congratulations. And then he's very happy and he's going to wait for us in Bangladesh. And once you go there, you're going to meet and we're going to chat a few about the game.

How does that make you feel?

I mean, I mean, huge, you know, meeting a president from, you know, in Bangladesh. It's different things.

Have you heard from many other people back home how this is resonating, how important the team's performance has been to people in Bangladesh?

Yeah, I think they're all cheering up now in Bangladesh and really happy, and they're always, you know, backing us in the game. You know, the crowd here from Bangladesh every time, and I hope that they're gonna come in next game and, you know, cheering up For for us.

Congratulations. With no hyperbole, it's as big an upset as Test cricket has ever had. Congratulations. Awesome to be part of it. Appreciate your time.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Hassan Mahmud. Not just part of it; he was as big a part of it as could possibly be. The man of the match, Hassan Mahmud, and the Bangladesh cricket team with a substantial upset to beat Australia in Darwin by nine wickets.

How well did he bowl though? Like Look, Jake, you mentioned it in the interview with him. He bowled superbly. His lines, his lengths, his disciplines presented the seam, wrist and fingers behind the ball. Like Damien Fleming would refer to it as Bowlology 101. He just kept things simple, presented the seam, and just got that little bit of seam movement off the pitch. I thought he was excellent.

Yeah, he did his job. He did everything required, hardly bowled a bad ball, and was constantly at each and every one of the Australian Australian batters and, um, a worthy man of the match.

Uh, we're jumping around all over the place here, and for, uh, for good reason. But we, we did play, uh, Ed Cowan's Thought of the Day a few moments ago. So he spoke about, uh, yeah, the lack of vulnerability in the team. He also spoke about, uh, the fact how long are the selectors going to continue to tolerate a lack of big runs out of their batsmen. What do you think the answer is to that?

First of all, just the image I had of Ed Cowan through there was sitting in front of an open fire in a big leather chair, sipping on a brandy, stroking a cat.

That actually— I don't think that's that far removed from that. That's probably about right.

But look, he made some really good points. I think, um, you know, he touched on your question that you asked Mitchell Starc last night, um, and it's clear that he said that there's a sense of— he used the term embarrassment, didn't he? Um, sense of embarrassment But I'm not sure I saw that. I heard a bit of defensiveness, um, in that, like, you know, we know what we're doing, we're very experienced. I actually get that. They are a very experienced group of players. They've played a lot together. They know what they need to do to prepare well. They've won a lot of Test cricket over many, many years. So I kind of, in a funny kind of way, I kind of get the defensiveness. But I thought it was very quick to go back at you, Corby. That, that says to me maybe there's just what, what Eddie's talking about, maybe a little bit of, uh, question marks just creeping in. I'm not sure.

They are an old team. I mean, Sam Perry on The Grade Cricketer put it last night where he was talking really about investment, and he said you're either investing into the future or you're reaping the dividends basically for having put the investment in down the track. When you got a team that's 33 and a half and you got a bunch of old guys and you got these banner series coming up, trips to South Africa and India and England and everything else, You're in the, let's get the dividend for our investment now that we've put all this time and we've stuck with the group and now it's time to pay off. It's not, let's lose to Bangladesh in the first game of the cycle. And then all of a sudden you think, well, what phase are we in? Are we reaping the rewards or are we— do we go right back and put some tests into a new generation? So in years to come, we've, you know, we've— what is it— watered the tree that someone else gets the chance to sit under. Because at the moment it's It's neither.

Well, that's exactly right. After a big series like the Ashes, there's normally a rebuild for the next cycle, and there wasn't a rebuild. They, they looked at this Test schedule and said, we need this team together, we need the experience of this team together to get these 20 Test matches won. And to lose with a full-strength side against an undermanned Bangladesh team, it has to create some questions within the group, whether they've done the right thing, whether there needs to be changes to be made. However, we know that this selection group and this leadership group aren't knee-jerk reactors. They, they don't jump at ghosts and shadows. They make informed decisions, and, and then they give players one more game than one less game. I, I think they'll give him Mackay, and then, uh, if, if there's not a marked improvement, there'll be a rebuild.

It makes McKay huge, doesn't it?

Massive.

Like, so big, you know. And it was great that Green came out and answered some of his critics. And like, the pressure, I think, you know, we've all been there in our careers at some stage. Like, it's awful. Sometimes you just want the, you know, to be swallowed up whole and, and, and, and all just to go away. He had that weight on his shoulders, Cam Green, and he's answered those critics. So I guess that's, that is one answer that, that Australia won't have, I guess, going forward in the short term. But there are a couple of other ones, and You know, I'm with Jakey. I don't think— I think it'll be the same 11, you know, believe it or not, after such a result. But, but those guys who do have those, those shadows over them, it is huge for them.

Uh, we'll be there for it. So Saturday you can catch it all right here on ABC Sport. Yeah, gee, I'm glad I made the trip, as I'm sure all you guys are. We appreciate you, uh, you're coming up for it. What, what a Test match. So Bangladesh, uh, on the wrong side of the toss. Australia decided to have a hit first, all out 198. Hasan Mahmood, who we just spoke to, 6 for 55. Uh, Travis Head, bizarrely, was, uh, was bowled and then put the bail back on the stump. That's something you don't see, uh, you don't see every day when a player is dismissed and gets out in that kind of fashion. Uh, and then Bangladesh had the chance to have a hit. They batted for 138 overs, made 426, 100 for 10s at Hasan and a number of other contributions. And then Australia batting a second time, well, they got something out of the game. Cam Green managed to score his first 100 on home soil, uh, but, uh, it was Mehdi Hasan Miraz who was the star there with 5 for 66. The victory target was just 57. They would have had to try and defend, uh, the lowest 4th innings target ever to, uh, to win a Test match. The Aussies, they only got the one wicket. That was Tanzid Hasan, who was out for a duck. Hazelwood picked up his scalp, which, uh, ended up giving him the 7 wickets for the match. But, uh, Bangladesh too good. They got there. Just one down to win by 9 wickets in what is going to be a, a Test match that we won't soon forget here in Darwin. Stunning weather, uh, and tremendous cricket in which, uh, one team outplayed the other as predicted across all 4 days. And it wasn't the team that people expected— Bangladesh. Of course, uh, as, as big an upset as we've seen.

Oh well, the biggest upset that we've seen, there's absolutely no doubt about it. And, uh, you've summed it up very well there, Corby. It was, it was a great Test match, um, A great feel, great atmosphere here at Marara. And yeah, I think we witnessed something pretty special. It was obviously disappointment for the Australians and Australian supporters, but elation for the Bangladesh supporters who've come out here. And I'm sure everyone at home in Bangladesh dancing in the streets at the moment.

The TMS Podcast on BBC Sounds.

Well, no doubt the celebrations will continue for many days to come. What an extraordinary story coming from Australia this Sunday. Test match cricket returns meanwhile to England very soon. Wednesday, 19th of August sees the first test between England's men and Pakistan at Headingley. We'll be live on air 10:25 on 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds. Don't forget, Today at the Test has your highlights, and don't miss an episode of the Test Match Special podcast. Just subscribe on BBC Sounds. Thanks so much for listening. We'll speak to you again soon.

This goes beyond what the KGB did back in the days.

Conspiracy theories and the Football World Cup— is there ever one without the other? Well, I've been digging into one of the very best back in 1994.

Guy from Iraq gets a red card for a, you know, a dubious tackle.

I'm James Montague, and from BBC Five Live, this is Sport's Strangest Crimes presents Shadows on the Pitch. Listen on BBC Sounds.