Bangladesh sat 351 for 6 at Darwin stumps, a first-innings buffer of 153 that looked unthinkable two days earlier. Hasan Mahmud’s 6 for 55 bowled out the hosts for 198, their lowest total ever against Bangladesh, before Tanzid Hasan’s maiden century turned that platform into control. Taskin Ahmed reached 300 international wickets in the same spell that broke the innings open. Two days into this Test, the tourists are chasing something no Bangladesh side has ever managed on Australian soil, and Marrara Oval is writing a different script now.
Hasan Mahmud’s Career-Best Spell Stuns the Hosts
Hasan Mahmud tore through Australia’s top order on day one, finishing with 6 for 55 from 17 overs for his career-best Test figures. He removed Weatherald, Head, Labuschagne, Green and Lyon before Steve Smith fell for 71, and it was his third five-wicket haul in 15 Tests, the first by any Bangladesh bowler in Australia.
Mohammad Rafique’s 5 for 62 at Fatullah in 2006, from a losing cause, had stood as Bangladesh’s best figures against Australia for two decades. Hasan’s 6 for 55 broke that mark and now ranks 12th on Bangladesh’s all-time Test list, behind only Shahadat Hossain’s 6 for 27 and Ebadot Hossain’s 6 for 46 among Bangladesh pace spells. It also stands as the best-ever bowling figures by any Bangladesh bowler in a Test in Australia.
Bangladesh Australia Test 2026 first innings lead
Australia’s innings folded for 198, their lowest Test total against Bangladesh and below the previous mark of 217 at Mirpur in 2017. Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain backed the opening burst with 2 for 55 and 2 for 39, and all ten wickets fell to pace. Steve Smith alone reached fifty, top-scoring with 71 off 109 balls.
| Team | Runs | Wickets | Key Performer |
| Australia | 198 | 10 (all out) | Steve Smith 71 (109b) |
| Bangladesh | 351 | 6 (Day 2 stumps) | Tanzid Hasan 101 (197b) |
The reply flipped that pressure. Bangladesh were 96 for 1 at day one close, still 102 behind, before the middle order turned that deficit into a healthy lead by day two stumps.
Taskin Ahmed’s Landmark Reaches 300 Wickets
Taskin Ahmed quietly reached a landmark of his own the same afternoon, taking his international wicket tally to exactly 300 in his 204th match, with 2 for 55 in the innings. His career now reads 13 four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls, with an average above 28.
Taskin became only the sixth Bangladesh bowler to reach 300 international wickets, behind Shakib Al Hasan’s 712, Mashrafe Mortaza’s 389, Mustafizur Rahman’s 384, Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 369 and Taijul Islam’s 302.
Tanzid Hasan’s Maiden Century in Darwin
Tanzid Hasan made history with the bat, compiling 101 off 197 balls with eight fours and a six for his maiden Test century, the first hundred by a Bangladesh batter in Australia. He added a 102-run stand with Mominul Haque, who made 49, then 93 more with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who struck 84 off 126 balls.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was unbeaten on 32 and Hasan Mahmud on 13 as Bangladesh passed 350. Hazlewood and Starc shared the day-two workload, each finishing with 2 for 68, but the only previous Bangladesh century against Australia belonged to Shahriar Nafees, who made 138 at Fatullah in 2006, meaning Tanzid’s century is just the second by any Bangladesh batter against Australia in history.
The Tigers’ Long Wait for History
Bangladesh have made only two previous Test tours of Australia, and both ended badly. The 2003 series was swept 2-0, including a first Test at this same Darwin ground where Bangladesh were bowled out for 97 and lost by an innings and 132 runs, then an innings and 98 runs in Cairns.
The bigger picture offers little comfort either. Bangladesh have won just one of six Tests against Australia, a 20-run win at Mirpur in 2017, in a rivalry Australia has otherwise dominated 2-0 in 2003 and 2-0 in 2006, with 2017 finishing drawn. They have never won a Test on Australian soil until now.
None of that history guarantees anything for day three, but it explains why this position feels different. The Bangladesh Australia Test 2026 first innings lead is the closest Bangladesh have come to rewriting a script that has never once gone their way on Australian soil.
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