Dhaka, Aug 30 – Bangladesh have bagged their biggest scalp in 17 years as a Test-playing nation, beating Australia, arguably cricket’s strongest side, by 20 runs in an absorbing contest at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.Tigers walked into history with this victory over Australia the cricketing powerhouses. Setting a target of 265 to win, the visitors were bowled out for 244 shortly after lunch on the fourth day, with star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan claiming 5-85 to finish with 10 wickets for the match.
Shakib, along with Taijul Islam and Mehedi Hasan Miraj, rampaged through the Australian heavyweight batting lineup to wrap the visiting side at 221 in the second innings to ensure the historic victory.
Shakib earlier collected five more in the Australian 1st innings as well as a fifty with the bat, ensuring the man-of-the-match award in his 50th appearance in whites for Bangladesh. Taijul and Miraj supported him admirably, bagging three and two wickets respectively.
At one stage Australian seemed to have taken control as they reached 158 for 2 but World’s leading all-rounder Shakib al Hasan struck the killer blow dismissing the belligerent David Warner for a well compiled 112.
Tigers never looked back after Warner’s demise and wickets fell at regular interval with Shakib with his mesmerizing spin well supported by Taijul Islam and Mehidy Miraz, spun their web to snare the Aussie batsmen to their doom.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an avid cricket fan could not control her deep passion for sports as she came down to watch the Bangladesh-Australia first Test match final moments at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The Premier entered the stadium when Bangladesh was closer to their historic maiden victory over Australia; she witnessed the final intense rites with great interest and expressed her joy by waving the national flag.
Australia started the fourth day on a strong position at 109 for 2 and was cruising at 158 for 2 but once Shakib got the prized scalp of Warner, it was over for Aussies. They went to lunch at 199 for 7 before finally being dismissed for 244 to lose by 20 runs.
The milestones continue for Bangladesh in the Chandika Hathurusingha era, that can now be definitively identified as a transformative period in the team’s fortunes, as they beat Australia, cricket’s strongest nation.
Nothing will have felt sweeter for the diminutive Sri Lankan, who after retiring as a player earned his coaching chops in the highly competitive, professional and advanced cricketing set-up Down Under.
Yet this game will be remembered for a virtuoso performance by Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s finest ever cricketer, who in the build-up to the contest engaged in some intriguing mind games to rattle the opposition, and proved as good as his word when asked to prove it in the middle.
Having dug Bangladesh out of a hole when they batted first with a fluent 84 that belied the demons in the pitch from the off, then taken his 16th five-for to hand his side a priceless 1st innings lead, today he timed his decisive intervention when David Warner and skipper Steve Smith, Australia’s two best batsmen by some distance who were batting overnight, threatened to take the game away from the Tigers, with a 130-run partnership for the third wicket, bringing them within striking distance of the target of 265 on the fourth morning, at 158/2.
That is when Shakib struck to remove Warner, who had bludgeoned a 112 that was well-appreciated by his Bangladeshi fan club, with one that bounced deceptively and skidded on, as Warner flailed to cut it or pull it from a much greater height and missed completely. The importance of the wicket meant a review was inevitable, even though it would merely confirm how adjacent he was to the wicket when the ball hit him.
The partnership that had looked at times impenetrable since coming together in the closing session of the third day was broken, and from then on Bangladesh moved in for the kill like a pack of hungry wolves, Shakib leading the riot.
He next removed Smith, who had been happy to play patiently as Warner’s foil, but being one of the world’s most accomplished players of spin, posed great danger still. The smile on Tigers skippers Mushfiqur Rahim’s face truly returned, as he lapped up the one Smith, on 37, edged behind trying to cut Shakib, of whom no more could be asked at that point. Australia 171/4.
He took two more anyway, completing the second five-for in the game, that together with the first innings fifty, earned him the distinction of being only the second man, after Sir Richard Hadlee, to bag 10 wickets in a match and score a fifty in the same Test, on more than one occasion. The great New Zealander did it thrice in his 86 Tests. So Shakib, playing only his 50th Test, has plenty of time to catch up, or even surpass him.
Inspired by their senior’s world class performance, Taijul Islam and Mehedi Hasan Miraz, returned to their wicket-taking ways and although the Aussie tail looked defiant, surrender was certain on this pitch against three spinners. It was all wrapped up within an hour after lunch, jubilant scenes greeting the fall of the last wicket Hazlewood, plumb in front to Taijul, as Australia were all out for 244. History had been made once again in Mirpur, where last time out it was the turn of England to wake up to the roar of emerging Tigers.
After today, they can be said to have fully emerged, and looking dangerous. With Bangladesh taking an unassailable lead in the 2-match series, the second Test in Chittagong (September 4-7) is set up perfectly now for a coronation.
To chase a target of 265 runs posted by Bangladesh, Australia resumed the 2nd innings on the 4th day with an
overnight score of 109 for 2 in 30 overs but were all out for 244 in 70.5 overs.
Overnight opener David Warner hit a century of 112 off 135 balls, including 16 boundaries and one six, starting the day with overnight 75 runs.
World number one all-rounder across all formats of cricket Shakib Al Hasan trapped lbw Warner at 158/3 in 41.5 overs.
Shakib also confirmed the 4th day’s first breakthrough departing aggressive batsman skipper Steven Smith who was caught behind by skipper Mushfiqur Rahim after scoring 37 off 99 balls, including three boundaries.
Pat Cummins (unbeaten 33 off 55b; 3×4), Peter Handscomb (15 off 25b; 2×4), Glenn Maxwell (14 0ff 25b; 2×4) and Nathan Lyon (12 off 24b; 2×4) were the other double digit scorers in the 2nd innings for the visiting side.
Shakib Al Hasan captured 10 wickets in this Test with his back-to-back five wickets haul in two innings conceding 153 runs in 53.5 overs.
Shakib captured five wickets conceding 85 runs in 28 overs in the 2nd innings and another five wickets for 68 runs in 25.5 overs in the 1st innings.
To make their 50th Test memorable, Shakib scored 84 runs in the first innings while dashing opener hammered back to back fifty scoring 71 and 78 runs in the 1st and 2nd innings respectively.
Spinner Taijul Islam captured three wickets for 60 runs in 19.5 overs in the 2nd innings. Another spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz who made the first breakthrough for the Tigers for the three successive days’ in the match, bagged two wickets for 80 runs in 19 overs in the 2nd innings.
The 2nd Test of the two-match series will begin on September 4 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
The Tigers achieved the feat in their 5th battle against Australia who came here in Bangladesh to play a two-match Test series after 11 years break. After having their Test status in 2000, Bangladesh 1st played Test against Australia in July 2003 at Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin.
Brief score:
Bangladesh 1st innings: 260/10 in 78.5 overs; Shakib Al Hasan 84, Tamim Iqbal 71, Nasir Hossain 23, Ashton Agar 3/46, Pat Cummins 3/63, Nathan Lyon 3/79.
Bangladesh 2nd innings: 221/10 in 79.3 overs; Tamim Iqbal 76, Mushfiqur Rahim 41, Sabbir Rahman 22, Mehedi Hasan Miraz 26, Soumya Sarkar 15, Nathan Lyon 6/82, Ashton Agar 2/55, Pat Cummins1/38.
Australia 1st Innings: 217/10 in 74.5 overs; Matt Renshaw 45, Ashton Agar 41*, Peter Handscomb 33, Pat Cummins 25, Glenn Maxwell 23, Shakib Al Hasan 5/68, Mehedi Hasan Miraz 3/62, Taijul Islam 1/32.
Australia 1st Innings: 244/10 in 70.5 over (overnight 109/2 in 30th over); David Warner 112, Steve Smith 37, Pat Cummins 33*, Shakib Al Hasan 5/85, Taijul Islam 3/63, Mehedi Hasan Miraz 2/80. – UNB
