Australia lost the first Test of the two-match series by 9 wickets to Bangladesh.
Australian cricket legends Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, and Matthew Hayden were shocked by what they saw when Bangladesh defeated the hosts by nine wickets in the opening Test of the two-match series in Darwin on August 16, 2026.
Bangladesh started brightly, knocking Australia out for 198 runs, thanks to Hasan Mahmud's six-wicket haul. In response, Tanzid Tamim led with 101 runs, and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz also scored excellent fifties to help Bangladesh score 426 runs in the first innings.
In response, Australia scored a superior 284 runs in the second innings, with Cameron Green striking a century and Mehidy Hasan Miraz adding five. However, Bangladesh easily met the 57-run goal, winning by nine wickets.
Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, said that the Bangla Tigers were superior in all three areas of the game and refused to place the blame on the team's preparations.
However, Ricky Ponting reflected on the loss and stated that Bangladesh’s performance made the Test loss even more embarrassing for Australia. On the other hand, Mark Waugh called it the "biggest upset" in the team's cricketing history.
Mark Waugh, one of the greats of Australian cricket, said he couldn't remember a more bitter defeat in the country's history.
"This could possibly be the biggest upset I can remember in Australia. The West Indies beat Australia at the Gabba three or four years ago—that was an upset. But this one, given their best two bowlers, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam, are not playing; the rankings; and the Australian team being back at full strength, it's a big one,” Waugh said on Fox Cricket.
Cummins has stated that Australia was open to making changes in the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, bringing in fresh faces into the opening and No. 3 slots.
Ricky Ponting commented on the same matter, while calling the result a "very embarrassing defeat."
"Look, I'm the last one who wants to make changes. As a captain or as a player, I wanted to keep the group together," the former Australia captain said. "It has to get to a bad point before I start saying you ought to leave somebody out. But there has been enough evidence for me coming here to suggest that they weren't going to lose anything, or much at all, by starting that regeneration—by maybe bringing in another opener, by maybe bringing in someone at no. 3. And I think if they lose here, then that has to happen," Ponting said on Channel 7.
Discussing potential changes to the team, Hayden shared his inputs, calling for Travis Head to be demoted to the No. 5 spot.
"(Opening is) not (Head's) best position. I think his best position is still at No. 5. I don't like Alex Carey coming out at No. 5. It just feels a little shaky and uncertain," he added. "And why are we in this position? Australian cricket is so strong. It doesn't need to be in that position, in my opinion. But who do you pick? That's a great question. Are you picking match-fit players, or are you picking players on talent—like a Sam Konstas, for example?” Hayden stated.