Bangladesh pace bowler Hasan Mahmud believes the team is gaining real momentum in Test cricket, and he has set his sights on the World Test Championship final.
The Darwin breakthrough
Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets in Darwin in August 2026. Mahmud was the star, taking nine wickets across the two innings and winning Player of the Match.
His 6/55 in the first innings was the third-best Test figures by a Bangladesh fast bowler, and the first five-wicket haul by a Bangladesh bowler in Australia. He told AFP in Dhaka that the momentum was with the team, and said his mindset had shifted as the side improved. He aimed to attack Australia with short-pitched bowling and not give the batters easy runs.
WTC ambitions
Bangladesh are fourth in the World Test Championship table after that win and have won six of their last 13 Tests. Six matches remain in the cycle: home series against West Indies and England, plus a tour of South Africa.
Mahmud asked why Bangladesh should not reach the final if they win four home matches, calling it the team’s dream.
Next up: Afghanistan
Bangladesh now face Afghanistan in a one-off Test at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, starting on October 9. That match is not part of the World Test Championship.
