Don’t be sad about how it ended, be happy about how it began. For Bangladesh fans, that should be the prevailing mood following a mind-boggling roller coaster of a series. After barely six days of ups and downs, the spoils were shared between Australia and their precocious visitors; Bangladesh thrashed Australia by nine wickets at Darwin and the hosts responded with interest at Mackay, winning by an innings and 51 runs in the blink of an eye.

Bangladesh’s unprecedented rise

Even taking into account Bangladesh’s hapless batting in the second Test, the first time they have twice been bowled out for less than a hundred in a Test, the tourists can make a good claim for ending their Australian adventure in a net positive state – an unprecedented rise to sixth in the Test rankings is evidence of that. And their mauling in Mackay only makes the Darwin victory seem more outlandish.
An against-the-odds performance, oozing control and discipline, which not even the most ardent Bangladesh supporter could have dared to imagine. But it did happen.

There’s a good case for casting aside the Bangladesh team analyst – surely an endless loop of the Darwin Test is all that’s needed to indoctrinate the players. If they can follow the template which they themselves formulated, there really will be no looking back.

Bangladesh’s Mackay car crash was always likely to happen given their history of following impressive results with an absolute stinker of a game. The so-called miracle of Mount Maunganui was avenged by the Kiwis with a crushing innings loss, the 2024 away series win against Pakistan was followed by a series drubbing in India, and this year’s string of four consecutive Test victories came to a grinding halt in Zimbabwe.

Shoriful’s shines amid Australia’s Mackay dominance

The Australian cricket psyche barely allows for occasional underachievement, and so their reaction in Mackay was as ferocious as it was expected. Mitchell Starc’s 10-wicket haul for a miserly 51 runs encapsulated the sense of a sleeping bear being poked into action. Yet, Bangladesh’s own left-arm quick, Shoriful Islam, was Bangladesh’s lone ray of light in Mackay.

His 7-48 propelled him to third on the list of all-time best efforts in an innings by a Bangladesh bowler and to first place amongst Bangladesh pacers. Shoriful’s rise to prominence came during the 2020 U19 World Cup, in particular, his no-holds-barred, visceral spell of fast bowling in the final against India demanded attention. Perhaps he hasn’t developed into the tearaway express bowler that many had hoped, but he has learnt about his craft, his skill and control in Mackay were phenomenal.

He single-handedly kept Bangladesh in the game when the batters were determined to do the exact opposite. Indeed, the 17 wickets that fell to Starc and Shoriful went a long way to determining the brevity of the Second Test. The length of the Test, 125 overs, has caused more indignation and soul-searching in some sections of the Australian media than the home team’s capitulation in Darwin.

Despite the recent increased frequency of two-day Tests in Australia, Mackay felt like an anomaly, an aberration which shouldn’t be put down to the pitch or conditions. Yes, Shanto was critical of the wicket, but the shortcomings of his own batters deserve equal scrutiny.

After Australia, South Africa next?

So what next for Bangladesh? Well, the Mackay experience certainly highlighted a pressing need to bolster the batting, particularly with an away assignment in South Africa on the horizon. The ability to withstand pace and bounce is top of the shopping list. In the absence of any fresh candidates knocking the door down for inclusion, the search will probably focus on those who have already had an initial turn in the international spotlight.

Jaker Ali, the middle-order batter and wicketkeeper, would be a good shout as someone who deserves consideration once again.

It wasn’t that long ago when his cameo innings was a notable contribution in beating the West Indies in the Caribbean. A longer-term aspiration is securing an appearance at the World Test Championship final next year.

Home series against WI & ENG crucial

It might seem a fanciful notion, but Bangladesh’s impressive results in the current FTC cycle, coupled with a schedule which exclusively contains two Test series and therefore an increased value for each victory, gives them a realistic chance. It would require winning all of their upcoming home Tests against West Indies and England, as well as snatching something from the South Africa tour; unlikely but not impossible.

Nahid Rana, returning from injury, will of course be a welcome boon, someone capable of reshaping Bangladesh’s destiny. Whether or not Bangladesh do pull off a WTC fairytale, their past few weeks down under has propelled them to a different level. Cricket romantics everywhere are bound to agree; a landmark win for the ages can’t be eclipsed by a subsequent prosaic loss.

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