Habibul Bashar cried. He had good reason to.

Twenty-three years ago, on this very ground in Darwin, Bashar had scored 54 as Bangladesh was beaten by Australia by an innings and 132 runs. On Sunday, he was back at Marrara Oval, no longer a batter but as the chairman of the national selection committee, watching Bangladesh do something that would have seemed fanciful then — beat Australia by nine wickets in a Test.

For Bashar, the distance between those two afternoons were almost too much to take in.

“It is a big statement for Bangladesh. Many ridiculed us, saying that the match would be over in a couple of days, but the boys believed in themselves. To come here and beat Australia in a Test is a huge achievement,” an emotional Bashar told Sportstar.

There was, however, much more to this Bangladesh victory than what appeared on the scoreboard.

Taskin Ahmed had an opportunity to play in the Lanka Premier League, with a contract worth close to a crore taka (Bangladeshi currency). He chose not to go. With Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam injured, Bangladesh needed him for Australia.

Hasan Mahmud had gone to the LPL but returned before the tournament was over when Bangladesh’s pace attack was hit by injuries. He gave up matches and money.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz left the LPL midway, too. His team eventually won the tournament, but he was already back with Bangladesh.

Ebadot Hossain was in Italy with his pregnant wife. He left her side, returned home and then flew to Australia.

None of that appears in the scorecard. But they tell you something about the value this group placed on the tour.

“We had a disappointing tour game. But we did not lose hope. We worked very hard and we believed we could do something special. To see the boys achieve this is a very emotional moment for all of us,” Bashar said.

The tour game, of course, had been alarming. Bangladesh was bowled out for 54 by Cricket Australia XI.

A few days later, Australia was 198 all out.

After that, Bangladesh simply did not let Australia back in.

Tanzid Hasan’s 101 was the country’s first Test century in Australia. Bangladesh made 426 and took a 228-run lead. Mehidy scored 65 at No. 7, Hasan Mahmud took six for 55 and finished with nine wickets in the match. Australia was then dismissed for 284, leaving Bangladesh 57 to get.

It needed one wicket to get there.

RELATED | AUS vs BAN, 1st Test Report: Bangladesh earns historic first win in Australia

That is the part worth dwelling on. Bangladesh did not steal this game. It controlled it.

Australia, the world’s No. 1 Test side, was beaten in every important phase. Bangladesh’s first-innings lead was 228. The bowlers took all 20 wickets. The batters spent enough time at the crease to turn a good start into a commanding position. There was no frantic final-day chase, no last-session scramble. The target was little more than a formality.

And that is a significant change for a team whose Test history began with a very different reality.

When Bangladesh played its first Test against India in Dhaka in 2000, it was a new full-member nation trying to find its feet. India had been an important supporter of its elevation to Test status, with Jagmohan Dalmiya playing a significant role in that journey. Bangladesh lost the inaugural Test by nine wickets, though Aminul Islam Bulbul’s 145 gave the new nation something to hold on to.

The first overseas win came in the West Indies in 2009. England followed in 2016. Australia was beaten in Dhaka in 2017. Then came the landmark win in New Zealand in 2022 and the 2-0 series victory in Pakistan in 2024.

Now Australia, in Australia.

There have been bigger individual performances in Bangladesh’s Test history. Shakib Al Hasan’s 10-wicket match against Australia in Dhaka in 2017. Ebadot Hossain’s extraordinary spell in Mount Maunganui. Mushfiqur Rahim’s many rescue acts.

Darwin was different.

Hasan Mahmud set it up with the ball. Tanzid provided the century. Mehidy contributed with both bat and ball. Taskin brought experience and control. The lower order added 100 runs after Bangladesh was 326 for six.

It was a proper team performance, over four days, in conditions where Australia was expected to have the advantage.

“We have been doing quite well in red-ball cricket and this win will only help us reach greater heights. It’s a huge win, and we need to aim higher,” Bashar said.

He was careful not to get carried away. Perhaps he knows better than most how long Bangladesh have waited for moments like this, and how quickly one good result can be followed by a difficult period.

But he also knows what he had just watched.

“It was not just about one or two players. Everyone contributed. We stayed together, worked hard and believed. That is why this victory means so much,” Bashar said.

In 2003, his 54 at Darwin was resistance in a losing cause.

On Sunday, he watched Bangladesh’s batters make 426 and its bowlers take all 20 Australian wickets. Twenty three years before, Bangladesh was merely trying to survive Australia, but this time, it tamed the host through and through.

And Bashar, who had seen the old Bangladesh up close, was there to watch it happen. And, tears flowed.

Published on Aug 16, 2026