Bangladesh scripted historical past final weekend in Darwin, securing their maiden worldwide win in Australia towards Australia with a nine-wicket victory within the Take a look at sequence opener. It was a outcome that will probably be remembered for years in world cricket. Hundreds of miles away, the shock outcome triggered a peculiar mixture of “glee and embarrassment” within the English media, because it reopened a bitter reality that has continued to hang-out England.
That is nearly the similar Australian workforce that romped to a 4-1 Ashes victory over England final season, a sequence that finally culminated in Brendon McCullum’s sacking as Take a look at coach and Ben Stokes’ resignation as captain.
The embarrassment for the 2 groups was maybe greatest captured in a social media submit from Cricket Iceland, which wrote: “Bangladesh now have the identical variety of Take a look at wins in Australia as England do within the final 15 years!”
Former England quick bowler Stuart Broad, who retired three summers in the past, reckoned England ought to have, and maybe should have, been in the identical place that Bangladesh are at the moment. He admitted that the lead to Darwin was a bitter capsule for England to swallow, too.
“The outcome leaves an actual bitter, bitter style that’s nonetheless not disappeared from England’s winter’s work,” he mentioned on his For the Love of Cricket podcast. “That would have been us, ought to have been us.”
Earlier than the beginning of the 2025/26 Ashes, Broad had described Australia as having one of many worst batting line-ups in latest instances. In hindsight, given the Ashes outcome, he was mocked for the evaluation, however the Bangladesh outcome has supplied some vindication.
“I by no means backed down from that, as a result of I genuinely consider it,” he mentioned of his notorious remark. “Simply because they received 4-1, it nonetheless didn’t take away from my mindset. They’re coming to a stage the place they’re going to should convey some recent blood in. It’s whether or not they resolve to do it now or they go, ‘Can we dangle on till the top of the following Ashes sequence after which restart it?’”
Former England captain Mike Atherton, too, mirrored on the identical theme in his column for The Occasions.
“It’s troublesome to know which emotion ought to dominate,” he wrote. “The glee and schadenfreude over the outcome or the lasting ache and embarrassment from the way in which England’s personal ineptitude allowed Australia to paper over the cracks in final winter’s Ashes.”
Nevertheless, Atherton additionally admitted that Bangladesh’s historic victory had rekindled hope that the way forward for Take a look at cricket shouldn’t be fairly as unsure as some worry amid the rise of T20 cricket. Extra importantly, he argued that Take a look at cricket stays a precedence past the normal powerhouses of Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand.
“Increasingly more, England and Australia see their industrial ambitions orbiting round India, however it’s a harmful recreation to view the cricketing panorama in such a tripartite method,” he wrote.
“Since Bangladesh’s elevation to Take a look at standing in 2000 … Australia have performed seven Assessments in that point towards them, England solely ten.
“A powerful Take a look at recreation can solely really be so if there’s a breadth and selection to the competitors.
“The accountability cuts each methods: it’s for each workforce to take advantage of their very own sources as effectively as potential, to develop high quality groups, after which for the sport as an entire to supply alternative.”
Fellow former England captain Nasser Hussain additionally lamented what might have been for England in final winter’s Ashes.
“England aren’t even enjoying for the time being, and it’s all about what might have been final winter,” he wrote for Sky Sports activities.
“A number of journalists had been writing them (Bangladesh) off utterly. However they performed correct Take a look at match cricket. And I believe that’s what infuriates just a few England followers, actually.”
The Telegraph described the outcome as “deeply uncomfortable” for England, however refused to take something away from Bangladesh’s efficiency, highlighting how the Tigers tactically dismantled “Australia’s greatest” with out resorting to something flashy.
“Not solely did Bangladesh beat Australia’s greatest, however they did so in fashion, controlling the sport in a method England by no means even threatened to,” the publication wrote.
“There was nothing flashy. It’s simple to overlook that England additionally bowled out Australia cheaply at the beginning of the sequence, however didn’t have the smarts to take benefit.
“The explanations it went improper for England are actually nicely coated: desperately insufficient preparation at Lilac Hill towards the Lions, failing to even converse concerning the risks of driving on the up, which killed them in Perth and Brisbane, a divergence of strategy between the captain and coach, bowling that was quick however free, a usually slack perspective to downtime.
“If something, it will get extra painful by the day.”
Sky Sports activities host Ian Ward even took a dig at Justin Langer after the Australian guided Manchester Originals to victory in The Hundred last. Ward requested him: “How are your feelings – and I don’t imply after what occurred at Darwin?”
A laughing Langer replied: “You Poms are good, aren’t you?”
“Simply maintain kicking us whereas we’re down,” he added.
