This performance by Bangladesh particularly impressed me for two reasons. I have seen Bangladesh in such a situation before. Even from a position of victory, they seemed not to realize that the match was in their hands. A similar situation arose against Australia in 2006. But Australia came back from an almost impossible position and won the match.
So it was a matter of watching how Bangladesh would react after bowling out Australia for 198. That’s where young Tanjid Hasan Tamim gave me the most joy. We’ve been seeing his ability in white-ball cricket for a long time. But showing such mental toughness and maturity in red-ball cricket is really commendable. His partnership with Mominul Haque was important. Mominul is one of the best red-ball cricketers. The foundation that the two have built together has given a clear message to Australia; Bangladesh cannot be bowled out for 120 runs after scoring 198 runs.
Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehedi Hasan Miraj have also contributed. Miraj is giving the team a balanced performance, which Shakib Al Hasan used to give. But the contribution of the batsmen below should not be forgotten. Taskin, Taijul, Hasan Mahmud—all of them have made a big difference, even their small runs.
Bangladesh really put Australia under pressure after taking the lead. We have been saying for a long time that this Australian team is beatable. They may turn around and win the second Test, I don’t know. But the most important thing is that Bangladesh created an opportunity this time. And England will surely ask themselves after watching this match – why couldn’t we win the Ashes against an Australian team that we had a chance to beat? But for now, the story is not about Australia. The story is about Bangladesh.
Perhaps the most important thing for Bangladesh is that over the years the Bangladesh team has built a great foundation of fast bowlers. There was Ibadat Hossain, who was the hero of the victory in New Zealand (Mount Maunganui Test). Nahid Rana is not there, but Ibadat Taskin and the player I like the most, Hasan Mahmud, have done the job. There is Shariful (Islam). Bangladesh now has a great group of pace bowlers. There was a time in Bangladesh when they played with four spinners. Now they are coming from there and winning with the help of pacers, which is great. There are two spinners, Taijul (Islam) and Mehedi Hasan. As a result, the bowling is complete. I am impressed with the temperament they have shown with fast bowling and batting.
They are a very emotional team, an emotional country. I hope they will see this win as a big achievement and forget about it before the next match. Let them use this win as a board from which they can rise higher. Let them not get lost just by getting the biggest win in their history. Good luck to you Bangladesh, I hope this brings many more things to come.
