Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has compared the extraordinary reaction to his side’s historic Test victory in Australia with the celebrations that followed Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph.
Bangladesh crushed Australia by nine wickets in Darwin on Sunday to claim their first Test victory on Australian soil. The result ended a 23-year wait for another Test series in Australia and sent a wave of excitement through the cricket-loving nation.
Simmons said the response reminded him of the scenes he witnessed during Argentina’s World Cup campaign. Bangladesh have long followed Argentina’s football team with unusual passion, and the celebrations during the 2022 tournament became a defining example of that connection.
“We were comparing it a little bit to Argentina winning the World Cup,” Simmons told Indian media outlet RevSportz in an exclusive interview.
“Because, before that, during the football World Cup, we saw the madness in the streets of Dhaka. Yesterday felt very much like that.”
The comparison reflected the scale of the reaction rather than the nature of the celebrations. Bangladesh did not witness the same mass street scenes after the Test, but the victory generated an enormous response across social media and the wider cricket community.
Simmons said he received a stream of messages after the result. Many people had doubted whether Bangladesh could challenge Australia in their own conditions.
“The messages I got from people were really great,” he said. “Especially because a lot of people could not believe that something like this could happen on this tour in Australia.”
The coach also said the victory had given him a clearer understanding of what the result meant to Bangladesh’s supporters.
“But today I can understand what this victory feels like for the people of Bangladesh,” Simmons said.
The performance justified that emotion. Bangladesh bowled Australia out for 198 after the hosts chose to bat first. Hasan Mahmud led the attack with six wickets, while the Tigers’ seamers controlled the opening innings throughout.
Bangladesh then produced a strong batting response. Tanzid Hasan Tamim scored 101 from 197 balls for his maiden Test century, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 65. Hasan Mahmud also dug in for 14 from 92 balls as Bangladesh reached 426 and claimed a 228-run first-innings lead.
Australia fought back through Cameron Green in the second innings, but Bangladesh’s bowlers eventually closed the door. Mehidy took five wickets and Hasan added three more as Australia fell for 284.
That left Bangladesh needing only 57 runs. They completed the chase in 14.2 overs, losing just one wicket, with Mominul Haque unbeaten on 30 and Shadman Islam making 25.
