Bangladesh completed a historic nine-wicket victory over Australia in the first Test in Darwin on 16 August 2026, bowling the hosts out for 284 in their second innings before chasing down the 57 runs required for victory with the loss of just one wicket. The result marked Bangladesh's first-ever Test win on Australian soil. Cameron Green's defiant century of 104 was not enough to save Australia, with allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz taking 5 for 66 to spearhead the visitors' bowling effort on the fourth day.
Bangladesh's first-innings total of 426 had given them a lead of 228 over Australia's first-innings score of 198, meaning Australia went into their second innings chasing a target of 229 to try to force Bangladesh to bat again, according to ESPN Australia. Australia's second innings ultimately closed at 284, leaving Bangladesh needing just 57 runs to win, which they achieved for the loss of one wicket, per the same match report.
How did the match finish?
Resuming on the fourth day at 161 for 4, Australia lost their remaining six wickets for 123 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the destroyer-in-chief before lunch, claiming the key wickets of wicketkeeper Alex Carey (30), Beau Webster (5) and captain Pat Cummins (9) to finish with figures of 5 for 66. Green, batting for his place in the side, brought up his century by flicking Taskin Ahmed for two runs, having earlier been dropped on 95 by the same bowler off a difficult caught-and-bowled chance. It was Green's first century on home soil and his first in any format since an unbeaten 174 against New Zealand in Wellington in 2024. Australia were eventually bowled out after lunch when Mehidy trapped Nathan Lyon in front, ending the innings on 284. Bangladesh then knocked off the 57 runs required for the loss of only one wicket to seal the win.
How did Australia's top order collapse again?
Openers Jake Weatherald, out for a duck, and Travis Head, who made 17, both chopped deliveries from paceman Hasan Mahmud onto their stumps before tea on day three. After the interval, a well-set Marnus Labuschagne was bowled for 31 after playing around a full toss from spinner Taijul Islam, an error uncharacteristic of a batter looking so assured. Steve Smith, Australia's most dependable batter, fell in equally unexpected fashion for 44, pushing a harmless delivery from spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz straight back into the bowler's hands.
Green was given a reprieve on 12 when he inside-edged a ball from Taskin Ahmed onto his leg stump for four runs; replays confirmed the ball had clipped the outer edge of the stump without dislodging the bails. He and Carey then batted through to the close of day three without further alarm, before the innings unravelled on day four as described above. Hasan Mahmud finished with 3 for 66 in the innings, having earlier taken 6 for 55 in Australia's first innings.
What set up Bangladesh's commanding position?
Bangladesh's innings of 426 was built on a maiden Test century from Tanzid Hasan, who scored 101 in just his second Test, and an aggressive 84 from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, according to ESPN Australia's match report and confirmed by Al Jazeera. Allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 65 with the bat as the tail extended the total after lunch on day three, while number 10 batter Hasan Mahmud dug in for 92 deliveries to make 14, showing the kind of resilience Australia's own batters struggled to replicate. Spinner Taijul Islam chipped in with a lively cameo of 17, including a flick over the square leg boundary and a slash to gully off paceman Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood was the standout performer with the ball for Australia in the first innings, finishing with figures of 6 for 89 as noted by ESPN Australia. The wicket of Mehidy was his 300th in Test cricket, making him the ninth Australian bowler to reach that milestone. Australia's fielding let them down badly throughout the innings, with five catches spilled, including a sitter grassed by Smith at deep backward square leg off Taskin, and a tough skied chance off Mehidy put down by Head. Australia had earlier been bowled out for 198 in their first innings, with paceman Hasan Mahmud's 6 for 55 announcing him as a rising star, according to a report from ESPNcricinfo.
How does this fit into Bangladesh's tour of Australia?
The Darwin Test marked Bangladesh's first Test win on Australian soil, and their first appearance in a Test match in the country in 23 years, according to ESPNcricinfo. A separate report from a national broadcaster's website put the gap since Darwin last hosted a Test at 2004, meaning the ground itself had gone 22 years without staging the format, according to a report from a national broadcaster's report. Bangladesh's day-one bowling effort, led by Hasan Mahmud's career-best figures, was covered in our earlier report on Australia's dismissal for 198 on the opening day, while tensions between the sides and Tanzid Hasan's century were detailed in our coverage of day two's confrontations in Darwin. The result also follows a difficult run for Australia against Bangladesh in white-ball cricket, having suffered their first ODI loss to Bangladesh in 21 years in Dhaka and then a further ODI series defeat in June 2026.
How does this rank among Australia's worst home defeats?
The loss has been described as one of Australia's most humiliating home Test defeats in 149 years, coming just days after Bangladesh had themselves been bowled out for 54 by an Australia XI in a warm-up match. Australia have suffered heavy upsets at home before, most recently an eight-run loss to the West Indies at the Gabba in 2024, when fast bowler Shamar Joseph ripped through their batting order. Unlike that match, Bangladesh dominated every session across the four days in Darwin to record their largest-ever Test win, by nine wickets. Australia entered this Test after an extended break from red-ball cricket following their Ashes campaign, according to a report from Yahoo Sports. Had the hosts completed a successful chase, it would have represented their largest first-innings deficit overturned to win a Test on home soil, surpassing the 206-run deficit they overcame against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2010, when Michael Hussey's unbeaten 134 guided Australia to a 36-run victory after bowling Pakistan out for 176. The failures of opener Jake Weatherald and number three Marnus Labuschagne across both innings are expected to put their positions under scrutiny ahead of the second Test.
What happens next?
The first Test had been scheduled to run through 17 August 2026 at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, as confirmed by Cricket Australia, but concluded early after four days following Bangladesh's victory. The match formed part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, according to a report from Livemint, adding significance to the outcome for both teams' standings. The two-match series will conclude with the second Test in Mackay from 22 to 26 August 2026, as outlined by Cricket World and confirmed by ESPN's fixture page. The second Test will be played at Great Barrier Reef Arena, which will become the 12th ground to host a men's Test in Australia, according to a report from a national broadcaster's series preview. Both Tests were scheduled to be broadcast on Channel Seven, 7plus, Kayo Sports and Foxtel, according to Cricket Australia's match preview.
Key Facts
- Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets in Darwin, completing their first-ever Test win on Australian soil.
- Australia were bowled out for 284 in their second innings despite Cameron Green's century (104); Bangladesh then chased 57 runs for the loss of one wicket.
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 5 for 66 in Australia's second innings, adding to Hasan Mahmud's first-innings 6 for 55.
- Bangladesh's first innings total of 426 was built on Tanzid Hasan's maiden century (101) and Najmul Hossain Shanto's 84.
- The series continues with a second Test at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from 22 to 26 August 2026.
