History was made in Darwin and Bangladesh made sure Australia felt it.
The visitors pulled off the biggest win in their Test history, beating Australia by 9 wickets in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. But long before the final result, they had made it clear that they were not in Australia just to participate, they came to fight.
One moment from Day 3 showed their new attitude perfectly. It involved Australian star Steve Smith and Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das. It happened when spinner Taijul Islam bowled a ball down the leg side to Steve Smith. Steve Smith tried to flick it towards fine leg but missed. Litton Das immediately appealed very loudly and confidently for a catch behind the stumps.
The umpire said not out. Instead of moving on, Steve Smith turned towards Litton Das and challenged him to take a review. He was telling the keeper to waste another review if he wanted. Litton Das did not stay quiet. He told Steve Smith to just concentrate on his batting. Steve Smith replied that he was batting and that he would do whatever he wanted on the field. Litton Das repeated that Steve Smith should just focus on batting but Steve Smith refused to back down and said he is free to do what he wants.
This small fight became a big talking point. Former Australian players David Warner and Brendan Julian, who were commentating, actually praised Bangladesh for it. Brendan Julian said that Bangladesh looked ready for a contest and that Steve Smith had tried to start a confrontation to get into the game.
David Warner was even more impressed. He said that after the incident with Litton Das, the Bangladesh players did not stay quiet for the rest of the innings. He called their aggression unbelievable and said the team looked hungry and full of self-belief.
Andrew McDonald, head coach of Australia, did not make any excuses. He openly admitted that his team played very poorly. He said that scoring less than 500 runs in total over two innings on that pitch is not good enough and that the team needs to improve. He added that it was tough to accept and that the team let its own standards drop.
The action now moves to the second Test, which will start on August 22 in Mackay.
