Australia vs Bangladesh, Darwin 2026: Mehidi Hasan Miraz urges Bangladesh to continue momentum after historic win

Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has urged his side to carry the momentum from their historic Test win in Darwin into a potential series win while admitting Australia will come back strong in Mackay.

Bangladesh secured their first Test win on Australian soil with Mehidi playing a key role in the historic win, following a crucial half-century with the tail in Bangladesh’s first innings with a five-wicket haul in Australia’s second innings. He helped bowl out Australia for 284 in the series, leaving Bangladesh a target of just 57, which they chased down on the afternoon of the fourth day.

“Look, winning a game like this is always great. Even you all probably never thought we would win a game in these conditions. We believed, but at the end of the day, the result is not in our hands, we can only try. People say a lot of things sometimes, but at the end of the day, when everyone performs well, it’s great.

“Of course we think that way [clinching the series] We want to continue to focus on the approach we have taken. Since we won the first match, a bigger challenge awaits us. [But] Winning a Test match is never easy. “Right now, we just want to keep this momentum going, and we’ll plan for the next game later.”

Mehidi said he enjoyed his part in the game but described Darwin’s bowling performance as the best of the five-a-side’s 12 performances in the format so far. “I enjoyed both [batting and bowling]. When I went to bat, my only thought then was how to work with the bowlers to build a huge lead. That was my plan. Mentally, I was prepared knowing that any run I scored would help the team.

“As for the bowling, of all the bowling I’ve done, this one definitely stood out. To take five wickets in these conditions against a team like this feels like a real blessing to me as a spinner,” he said.

Mehidi also praised the Bangladesh team management for regaining the confidence of the players after they were bowled out for 54 and beaten by a Cricket Australia XI in the pre-Test practice match.

“It definitely feels great. We didn’t have any plan like this [to prove any point]… We just tried to win the game. The way we came back, the whole team deserves credit for that. We lost the first training match and the team’s morale declined. But the management deserves great credit for boosting our confidence.

“When I was struggling myself, our team manager, Nafees Iqbal, encouraged me a lot on how to play in these conditions. I was very happy mentally and spoke to him a lot. At one stage, he bowled me in the nets, and I faced the bowling. I also want to mention Mushtaq Ahmed from the team management. After we lost the first game, he went to every bowler and told us: ‘Have faith.’ “If you believe, winning is possible, and faith can take you.” We have come a long way from those little things, we started to believe, and you can all see the results today.

Mehidi also expressed his happiness at the appreciation Bangladesh received from former Australian players and after their historic win, especially from Adam Gilchrist.

“What I liked most was that I saw all the legendary players here. When I got five wickets today, Adam Gilchrist interviewed me, I liked it very much. I saw him very happy. He congratulated me and said that the Bangladesh team played very good cricket. He said, ‘You guys have surprised us.’ We never thought you could play cricket like this. “I mean when such a legendary player speaks well about our team, I feel good about myself,” Mehdi said.