“I came to Australia as a cricketer twenty-three years ago. There was a certain atmosphere then. We met in a certain way then. And now I have come and found something completely different. I have seen that people respect Bangladesh. Australian cricketers are also looking at it with different eyes. This change is what I like the most.”
Habibul Bashar Suman was speaking these words. The same people. The same opponent, Australia. The same venue for both matches. Only 23 years have passed in between.
Bashar returned to Australia in 2003 as a player, burdened by defeat, along with jokes, jokes and light-hearted talk about Bangladesh by various people, and returned to Australia after 23 years as the chief selector. This time, Bangladesh has won before his eyes. Not just the match, but also the respect. Bangladesh, which was once joked about, was asked if it could finish a Test match in one day! Current and former Australian cricketers have congratulated that Bangladesh.
The story of Darwin’s victory and the big loss in Mackay is not just a cricket series. The story is about to change. The story is about to change.
The wound from 23 years ago
2003. Bangladesh’s first tour of Australia. Lost by an innings in both Tests. Both matches ended in two and a half days. A completely powerless, powerless Bangladesh cricket team on the field. The dominance of the opponent on the field, criticism and cruel jokes off the field. Bangladesh was almost new to Test cricket at that time. Everything around was unfamiliar.
If you put the Bangladesh of that tour and the Bangladesh of this time side by side, it’s like two different pictures.
That day Bashar was the team’s batsman. This time he is the selector. That day he saw Bangladesh’s helplessness. This time he saw Bangladesh’s fight, victory. The ability to control the match. Bangladesh returned from Australia with their heads bowed. This time they returned with their heads held high. With equal respect for the series.
That morning in Darwin
But it didn’t start like that at all. Bangladesh were all out for just 54 runs in the warm-up match. Seeing that innings before going to play a Test on Australian soil, many felt that the old story was coming back.
Then Darwin. That’s where the story took a turn.
Bangladesh defeated Australia in a huge 9-wicket win on Australian soil. The Test ended in just 11 sessions. Hasan Mahmud took 9 wickets. Tanjid Hasan played a brilliant century innings. Shanta scored 84 runs with the bat. Along with intelligent captaincy. Mehedi Hasan Miraj’s five wickets in the second innings cleared the Australian batting.
The same team that collapsed for 54 runs in the warm-up match dismantled Australia’s Test team a few days later. Bangladesh proved to themselves that the true identity of a team cannot be written on the scorecard of a warm-up match.
There is no way to reduce the number.
There is no way to dismiss Darwin’s victory as a mere coincidence. In the last 15 years, India have played 21 Tests in Australia and won five. England have won 20 Tests and one. New Zealand have won eight matches and one. Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test on Australian soil.
If you put Bangladesh’s Darwin victory next to that list, its greatness can be understood. It is not a victory of luck. It is a victory of planning. A victory of the aggression of the pacers, the courage of the batsmen and the ability to hold one’s nerve at crucial moments.
Pace Bowling Revolution
The biggest story of this tour is probably Bangladesh’s pace bowling. For a long time, Bangladesh’s bowling has been all about spin. There were questions about the pacers on foreign soil. This time, Bangladesh’s pace unit has answered that question. Former Australian pacer Shaun Tait also said that Bangladesh’s strength now is pace bowling.
To win a Test match abroad, you have to take 20 wickets. Bangladesh did just that. Not just in Darwin, but throughout the series, Bangladesh’s pacers have put pressure on the Australian batsmen.
This is not just a series success. It is also a big message about the future of Test cricket in Bangladesh.
A changing Bangladesh through Bashar’s eyes
This is where Habibul Bashar’s story becomes even more important. Because he saw the two Bangladeshs very closely. He saw Bangladesh’s helplessness. He also saw Bangladesh’s aggressive mood.
After Darwin’s victory, he felt the change in the behavior of Australian cricketers, the congratulations of local people, meeting former legends, everything. He met legends like Adam Gilchrist. Bangladesh has also brought a new tone of respect to the conversations of Australian cricketers. For Bashar, that is perhaps the biggest achievement. A win is written on the scoreboard. That achievement is in cricket statistics. But the change in a team is written in the eyes, hearts, and minds of people. Bangladesh has received that respect from the cricket team’s tour of Australia this time.
Mackay’s shock
Mackay, however, brought Bangladesh back to reality. The series ended in a 1-1 draw after losing by an innings and 51 runs. Bangladesh’s batting once again falters in the face of Mitchell Starc’s pace and Australia’s pace attack.
Still, this defeat cannot erase the joy of Darwin’s victory. Rather, ending the two-Test series 1-1 is a big achievement for Bangladesh. Winning the first Test on Australian soil, then drawing the series, this tour has taken Bangladesh’s Test cricket to another level.
New story of Bangladesh
The story of returning to Bangladesh from Australia 23 years ago was one of disappointment, humiliation and questions. The story of returning from the same country 23 years later is one of victory, respect and new confidence. That is the real change.
Darwin gave Bangladesh history. Mackay gave it a lesson in reality. And the entire trip gave it something even greater—the courage to believe in ourselves anew.
23 years ago, Bangladesh returned from Australia with a story of defeat. 23 years later, Bangladesh returned with a different story.
The story is no longer about Bangladesh’s defeat in Australia. The story is that those who were once laughed at are now writing a story of honor standing on Australian soil.
Thank you, Bangladesh Cricket Team.
