It was a day for the history books at Mirpur’s Shere Bangla National Stadium, as Bangladesh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent one-day international cricket, securing their first victory over Australia in 21 years with a commanding 86-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the opening match of their three-match series.
Heading into the contest, Bangladesh carried the weight of a devastating 14-match losing streak against Australia, with their only previous ODI win against the cricketing powerhouse coming back in 2005 during a tri-series in Cardiff, Wales. That 18-year gap (updated to 21 years by the time of this 2025 fixture) made Wednesday’s result all the more remarkable for the underdog side.
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a competitive total of 284 for 8 off their full 50 overs. The standout performance of the innings came from all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain, who scored an unbeaten 86 – and he had plenty of help from Australia’s sloppy fielding, which dropped six catching chances throughout the innings, four of which came when Mosaddek was at the crease, gifting him multiple reprieves that allowed him to build his match-changing knock.
In reply, Australia got off to a disastrous start, losing opener Matt Short to the very first ball of the innings, followed quickly by the wicket of star batter Marnus Labuschagne to leave the tourists reeling at 2 wickets for just 2 runs. Playing without several of their first-team regulars for this tour, Australia struggled to recover from the early collapse. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey contributed 47, and all-rounder Cameron Green hit an unbeaten 52, but the side could only limp to 191 for 9 before an incoming storm forced an early end to play.
Bangladesh’s bowling attack was dominant throughout the chase. Young pace bowler Nahid Rana was the pick of the bunch, taking 4 wickets for just 41 runs, including the key scalps of Carey and stand-in Australian captain Josh Inglis. Spinner Mosaddek, playing his first ODI for Bangladesh in four years, chipped in with 2 wickets for 37 runs to cap off a man-of-the-match performance with both bat and ball.
Beyond the bilateral series result, the contest carries wider implications for 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification, with ripple effects for third side England. Currently, England sit eighth in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, Bangladesh ninth, and the West Indies 10th. Only the top nine ranked teams by September will earn automatic qualification for the 2027 tournament, and England faces a tough test against India in their upcoming ODI series in July, leaving the door open for Bangladesh to jump ahead and claim a direct spot if they continue their strong form. The second ODI of the three-match series will be held back at the Shere Bangla National Stadium this coming Thursday.