Bangladesh Pace Duo Hasan and Taskin Steal the Spotlight in Darwin

Test cricket returned to Darwin after 22 years in an atmosphere of celebration, but while the city was enjoying the occasion, Bangladesh’s pace attack was tearing through Australia’s batting lineup.

The opening morning at Marrara Stadium felt historic. More than two decades after the last Test in Darwin, the return of red-ball cricket created enormous excitement across the Northern Territory capital. Every ticket for the 9,000–10,000 capacity ground had already been sold, and the stands and grassy banks were packed with spectators.

In cities like Darwin, attending a match is about more than the cricket itself. Families and groups of friends came to enjoy the entire experience. Despite it being a working day, many fans took leave from work, and one group of four supporters had travelled from Brisbane specifically to watch all five days of the Test.

Yet while the crowd celebrated the return of Test cricket outside the boundary, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain were setting the green pitch on fire inside it.

Applause greeted Travis Head’s elegant cover drives, but the loudest reactions came when Hasan’s hostile spell rattled the Australian top order. The first Test of the Bangladesh-Australia series seemed to revive the classic charm of Test cricket in Darwin.

Australia managed only 74 runs for 4 wickets in the first session. Hasan struck twice, Ebadot created pressure and was rewarded when captain Najmul Hossain Shanto took a superb slip catch to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne. Taskin also joined the party, removing Cameron Green with Mushfiqur Rahim completing the catch. Remarkably, the first 22 overs were bowled entirely by the three Bangladeshi pacers.

After Hasan bowled Travis Head, Australian journalists became visibly curious about the young pacer, with one asking, “Is there a story behind Hasan Mahmud?”

Even before reaching the ground, it was clear that this was no ordinary morning for Darwin. Taxis and Ubers that usually arrived within five minutes took nearly twenty, and fares had surged. The flow of people was heading in one direction only—towards Marrara Stadium.

Australia could argue that Darwin felt almost like an away venue for them as well, considering no Test had been played there for 22 years. But the atmosphere outside the ground suggested otherwise; it was a city fully embracing the return of Test cricket.

For Bangladesh, the occasion carried extra significance. The visitors were playing a Test in Australia for the first time in 23 years, and the hunger built over nearly two decades was evident from the very first session through the fire and intensity of their pace attack.