Australia captain Pat Cummins rued the host’s poor opening day after it lost the first Test against Bangladesh at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on Sunday.
Bangladesh defeated Australia for the first time in a Test down under when it chased down a paltry 57-run target on day four.
The historic victory was also Bangla Tigers’ first across all formats in a bilateral series away in Australia.
Cummins pinpointed Australia getting bowled out for 198 on the first day after opting to bat made a significant impact on the outcome of the match.
“Probably that day one,” Cummins said in the post-match interview. “I thought our preparation was pretty much spot on; it was excellent. So, no excuses. They played really well.”
“I thought the day one wicket was doing a little bit early but obviously got to try and find a way to bat a little bit longer than we did, and then just couldn’t penetrate with the ball,” the skipper explained.
He conceded that Australia was outplayed across departments but vowed to bounce back in the second and final Test in Mackay starting August 22.
“I think they outplayed us in all facets, really. They were really patient and quite disciplined. And once we were behind, it was really hard to get back.”
“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,” Cummins said.
The historic victory was also Bangladesh’s first across all formats in a bilateral series away in Australia.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
The historic victory was also Bangladesh’s first across all formats in a bilateral series away in Australia.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Meanwhile, visiting captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said this was Bangladesh’s biggest win across formats and believed to achieve similar special moments in future.
“I am very happy and proud of myself and the way boys played. We did a lot of hard work and really happy to win with this side,” Shanto expressed after the win.
He admitted Bangladesh’s fast bowling resources were depleting when the side wasn’t playing enough Test cricket but in last few years the motivation has come back to upskill in the red-ball format.
“Five-six years ago, the pace bowlers didn’t want to play Test cricket because we didn’t get enough chance to play Test cricket. But last two, three years we’ve been playing a lot of Test matches and boys are getting importance their Test format,” the captain explained.
“They now wanted to play and wanted to perform because they wanted to be world class. So that is the mindset they have and especially the senior guys we have — Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque — they help them a lot to encourage to play Test cricket,” Shanto added.
The Bangladesh skipper added that the side has enough confidence to compete once again in the second Test and go for the win — all they need is to continue to follow the process.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
