Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud wrote a new chapter in his country’s Test history on the opening day of the first Test against Australia at the Marrara Cricket Ground in an extraordinary exhibition of seam and swing bowling. Mahmud ripped through Australia’s strong batting line-up, taking a career-best 6 for 55 to skittle the hosts for a mere 198.
Not only did the performance put Bangladesh in a strong position in the match, but it also broke a few long-standing bowling records for the Tigers in red-ball cricket.
Bangladesh were the underdogs coming into the series, playing their first Test on Australian soil since 2003. To stand up to an Australian team boasting their famed “Big Four” attack, Bangladesh needed something special. That’s exactly what Mahmud delivered.
Australia won the toss and made a steady start to 45 runs before the turning point of the day in Mahmud’s opening spell. Clinical with his line and length, he drew first blood, forcing local favourite Jake Weatherald (23) to edge through to goalkeeper Litton Das. An over later Mahmud got rid of Travis Head (22), chopping a short ball onto his stumps, leaving the hosts suddenly reeling. His spell brought about a middle-order collapse Australia never recovered from.
Mahmud’s 6/55 put his name at the top of several leaderboards:
Best Test Figures vs Australia: His feat broke the 20-year-old national record set by legendary spinner Mohammad Rafique (5/62 in 2006) for the best individual bowling figures by a Bangladeshi against Australia. It was also the first six-wicket haul for a Bangladeshi bowler in Australia.
Third-best fast-bowling figures: It is the third-best haul by a Bangladeshi quick in a Test behind Shahadat Hossain’s 6-27 against South Africa in 2008 and Ebadot Hossain’s iconic 6-46 in New Zealand in 2022.
Mahmud, backed by Taskin Ahmed (2/55) and Ebadot Hossain (2/39), helped restrict Australia to 198, their lowest Test score against Bangladesh.
Steve Smith held firm at one end with a gritty 71, but Mahmud returned later in the day to make sure Australia’s tail offered no late resistance. He had Pat Cummins (9) and Mitchell Starc (1) in quick succession before ending Smith’s innings with a top-edged catch to the goalkeeper. It was only fitting that Mahmud himself ended the innings by dismissing Nathan Lyon (7) for his third five-plus-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Mahmud’s heroics inspired the Bangladesh top order, who cruised to 96 for one by stumps on Day 1, just 102 behind. Mahmud’s pyrotechnics in Darwin not only gave his side the edge, but also heralded the arrival of Bangladesh’s fast-bowling unit on the world stage.
