Bangladesh completed a stunning nine-wicket victory over Australia in the first Test at Darwin's Marrara Oval on August 16, 2026, securing their first win on Australian soil. After Australia were bowled out for 284 in the second innings, Bangladesh were set a target of just 57 runs on the fourth afternoon. Mominul Haque knocked the winning runs to seal the historic result.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz played a crucial role in Bangladesh's triumph, taking five wickets for 66 runs in Australia's second innings to restrict the hosts to a lead of just 56 runs.
"Look, winning a match like this always feels amazing. Even you all probably never thought we would win a match in these conditions. We believed, but at the end of the day, the result isn't in our hands, we can only try. People say a lot of things at times, but at the end of the day, when everyone performs well, it feels great," Miraz said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Mehidy's five-wicket haul in Australian conditions
Miraz's five-wicket haul marked his 15th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and his third outside Asia. Four of his five victims were right-handed batsmen, including Steve Smith. The spinner also contributed with the bat, scoring 65 off 154 balls in Bangladesh's first innings, which was built on the back of opener Tanzid Hasan's maiden century of 101 off 197 balls and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto's 84 off 126 balls. The Bangladesh spinner credited his team management for providing crucial support during the match.
"As for the bowling, out of all the five-wicket hauls I’ve taken, this one is definitely special. Taking five wickets in these conditions against a team like this feels like a true blessing for me as a spinner," Miraz said.
"When I was struggling myself, our team manager, Nafis Iqbal, gave me a lot of encouragement on how to play in these conditions. I was very happy mentally and talked to him a lot. At one point, he even bowled to me in the nets, and I faced his bowling. I also want to mention Mushtaq Ahmed from the team management," he added.
Support from team management shaped the victory
The Bangladesh spinner credited his team management for providing crucial support during the match.
"When I was struggling myself, our team manager, Nafis Iqbal, gave me a lot of encouragement on how to play in these conditions. I was very happy mentally and talked to him a lot. At one point, he even bowled to me in the nets, and I faced his bowling. I also want to mention Mushtaq Ahmed from the team management," said Miraz.
"After we lost the first match, he went to every single player and told us, 'Have faith. If you believe, winning is possible, and faith can take you a long way. Starting from those small things, we began to believe, and you can all see the results today," he added.
Recognition from cricket legends
Miraz expressed his delight at receiving recognition from cricket legends present at the venue. Looking ahead to the remainder of the series, Miraz expressed Bangladesh's ambition while acknowledging the challenges that lay ahead.
"What I liked the most is that I saw all the legendary players here. And when I got five wickets today, Adam Gilchrist interviewed me, I liked it very much. I saw him being very happy. And he congratulated me and said that the Bangladesh team played very good cricket. He said 'You guys surprised us. We never thought that you can play cricket like this.' I mean, when such a legendary player speaks so well about our team, I feel very good about myself," Miraz said.
"Of course we are thinking that way [clinching the series] and we want to stay focused on the approach we've taken. Since we won the first match, an even bigger challenge awaits us. Winning a Test match is never easy. Right now, we just want to carry this momentum forward, and we'll plan for the next match later," he concluded.