August 30, 2017 saw Bangladesh script a memorable win in Mirpur as they won the first Test by 20 runs, with Shakib Al Hasan taking 10 wickets in the match and scoring a fifty.
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When it came to Bangladesh’s contests against Australia in cricket, it was a one-sided contest. They had won only one ODI contest in Cardiff in 2005, that too when the Australian cricket team was in strife over the issue of Andrew Symonds’ drinking problem. In Tests, they had lost three out of four matches by massive margins. The one match in which they had come close to winning was in Mirpur in 2006 but they lost by three wickets. That was as close as they got to winning any match against Australia.
But, in 2017, Bangladesh fancied their chances a lot more against Australia. The team was undergoing a rough patch in Asia, losing 0-4 to India, 0-2 to Pakistan in the UAE as well as 0-3 in Sri Lanka. Having not won a single Test in Asia for the last six years, Bangladesh was hoping to finally break the jinx against Australia. In 2016, Bangladesh had managed to win a Test against England for the first time thanks to Mehidy Hasan’s 12 wickets. Now, they were gunning for the win against Australia.
In 2017, Shakib Al Hasan was the leading all-rounder in world cricket. He had starred in ODIs, Tests and T20Is for Bangladesh, further confirming his status as a legendary figure from Bangladesh. Shakib had been at the forefront with both the bat and ball, setting records that would put Bangladesh on the world map.
In the first Test, Shakib immediately made an impact and created a world record. Bangladesh chose to bat and they were immediately in trouble at 10/3. But, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib stitched a 155-run stand for the fourth wicket. Shakib and Tamim countered the Australian bowlers brilliantly on a Mirpur deck that was assisting spinners. But, once they fell, Bangladesh fell apart. Tamim fell for 71 and Shakib missed out by being bowled for 84 by Nathan Lyon. Bangladesh was bowled out for 260, with Ashton Agar, Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins all taking three wickets.
In response, Australia once again struggled to counter the spinning conditions in Asia. Shakib led from the front with the ball as he took 5/58. He was well-backed by Taijul Islam who took three wickets. With his five-wicket haul, Shakib became the first Bangladesh player to take five-wicket hauls against every country that he played against. Agar hit 41 and shared a 49-run stand with Cummins that helped Australia recover from 144/8. In the end , Bangladesh got a lead of 43 runs.
Tamim hit another fifty but the rest of the batsmen floundered against Lyon. The Aussie offspinner took 6/82, with Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, and Mehidy Hasan reaching double figures. Bangladesh could have been bowled out cheaply but Mehidy and Shafiul Islam shared a partnership of 28 for the ninth wicket which would be pivotal. Bangladesh ended on 221, giving Australia a target of 265.
Australia started badly with Matt Renshaw and Usman Khawaja fell cheaply. But, David Warner and Steve Smith steadied Australia, with Warner in prime form. Both the batsmen negotiated the bowling well and used their feet well to counter the spin. While Smith used his feet, Warner employed the sweep shot. Both shared a partnership of 130 and Australia needed 107 more to win with seven wickets in hand.
On the fifth day, it seemed to be a mere formality. But, Shakib and Taijul once again exposed Australia’s fragility to spin. Shakib Al Hasan trapped Warner LBW for a brilliant 112 and from that time on, panic set in. Shakib managed to take five more wickets and end with a 10-wicket haul. Taijul also chipped away but Australia refused to give up. Cummins hit three fours and two sixes and got the required rate down to 20 runs. But, when Taijul trapped Josh Hazlewood LBW for 0, Bangladesh had created history.
This was their first win in Test history against Australia. The moment and anticipation was such that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in attendance at Mirpur to witness history. Australia had once again floundered against spin.
Having taken a 0-1 lead in the series, Bangladesh now had a chance to win a series against a top nation for the first time. In the final Test in Chattogram, Bangladesh again batted first and scored 305, with Sabbir Rahman and Mushfiqur Rahim hitting fifties. But, Lyon was the star with 7/94 as Australia got momentum. Warner hit his second consecutive century and he was backed by fifties from Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb. Australia managed a 72-run lead, with Mustafizur Rahman the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 4/84.
In the second innings, Bangladesh could not handle Lyon as he took 6/60 to end with 13 wickets in the match and 22 in the entire series to bowl Bangladesh out for 157. Australia knocked off the runs and ended their jinx in Asia in fine style with a seven-wicket win. The series was drawn 1-1. But, Australia’s woes in the subcontinent did not end. They lost a four-Test series to India 1-2 in 2017 while they were once again trounced by Pakistan 1-0 in 2018.
Australia’s team is currently in transition and it showed when they were humiliated 1-4 in the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh. That series loss meant that Australia had not learnt the lessons of so many past humiliations in Asia.
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