Bangladesh have finally created history in Australia, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz playing a starring role in their landmark Test victory. Miraz claimed five wickets as Australia were bowled out for 284 in their second innings, before Bangladesh chased down 57 with nine wickets in hand to seal their first Test win on Australian soil.
Miraz finished with 5-66 from 33.1 overs, including six maidens, dismissing key batters such as Steve Smith, Alex Carey and Beau Webster. It was his 15th five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
His effort also made him the first visiting spinner in 14 years to take five wickets in the third innings of a Test in Australia. The last to achieve the feat was Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, who took 5-95 against Australia in 2012.
India’s Kuldeep Yadav was the last visiting spinner to take a five-wicket haul in Australia before Miraz, claiming 5-99 in the second innings of the 2019 Sydney Test.
This was Miraz’s third five-wicket haul outside Asia. He had previously achieved the feat in South Africa and the West Indies.
Hasan Mahmud also played a major role in Bangladesh’s historic victory. He finished the match with figures of 9-110, narrowly missing out on becoming the first Bangladesh bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test against Australia.
Hasan’s match figures are the second-best by a Bangladesh fast bowler against Australia in a Test. The best remains Shahadat Hossain Rajib’s 9-97 against South Africa.
After the bowlers had done their job, Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque completed the chase. Bangladesh lost Tanzid Hasan Tamim in the second over while chasing 57, but Shadman and Mominul ensured there was no late drama. Shadman finished unbeaten on 25, while Mominul remained not out on 30 as Bangladesh completed a nine-wicket victory.
Twenty-three years after their previous Test tour of Australia, Bangladesh have finally returned with a victory. Hasan Mahmud’s six-wicket haul, Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s century, Miraz’s five-for and a complete team performance combined to produce one of the most memorable chapters in Bangladesh’s Test history.
