Simmons asked for '40-50 balls'; Hasan gave Australia 76

“HASANNN…That’s out..” Phil Simmons’ voice echoed around the practice area at the Marrara Oval. It’s three days out from Bangladesh’s first Test in Australia since 2003. The Bangladesh coach had just seen Hasan Mahmud attempt an expansive shot with poor execution in the nets. And his admonishing tone was justified, considering he’d only a few minutes earlier yelled out, “I want all of you to give me 40-50 balls each in the match,” at the tailenders who he’d intentionally asked to pad up first for a hit. He’d then even summon Hasan for a quick headmasterly chat before letting his young fast bowler having another go.

On Friday evening, that tough love from coach Simmons proved to be worth every bit as Bangladesh’s hero with the ball on Day One produced an equally heroic performance with the bat to push his team into a spot of complete dominance in the opening Test of the home season for Australia.

To really understand just how vital the 76 deliveries Hasan faced late on Friday were to the visitors’ overall cause, we need to dial back to the point he’d walked out to bat. It was the classic Australian cauldron setting. Pumped up fast bowlers buoyed by a string of wickets and a packed slip cordon. That too with the momentum in the Test match on the cusp of turning Australia’s way for the first time. Bangladesh had lost three massive wickets for 11 runs. Though still already more than a 100 runs ahead, this mini-collapse had threatened to let the home team back into the Test in via the backdoor.

This was also Cummins at his rip-roaring best, when he gets the bit between his teeth and tears apart opposition batting line-ups and matches. And even though it didn’t start promisingly for Hasan, as he edged and played-and-missed his way out of danger, the youngster’s gumption, and his coach’s orders, really started to come to the fore as he started to hold off the Australian charge. Just like his team have done so incredibly well over the first two days of this historic Test. Hasan ended up putting on an unbeaten stand of 43 in 147 deliveries with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the third longest of the Bangladesh innings at this stage.

While the practical purpose it served was keeping the Australians on the field for much longer in the sapping heat, this was also part of the pure defiance very rarely seen from an opposition team on these shores, let alone one that’s been kept away from here for nearly two-and-a-half decades. The Mehidy-Hasan stand had also meant that Bangladesh have now won five out of six sessions in the match, with the post-tea period on Day Two potentially shared by the two teams.

Which also means that Australia are yet to get their noses into the contest and have continued to play catch-up pretty much from the time Jake Weatherald fell within two minutes of the first drinks break on Thursday morning.

For all the deserving applause that has come Bangladesh’s way from around the world what does it say about Australia though? For all the talk around the career-defining 12 months ahead for Pat Cummins and his team, the last two days have thrown up newer questions than already existed about the make-up of their team and some of their personnel.

With the surface at the Marrara Oval offering next to nothing for the bowlers on Friday, credit must be given to the world-class pace troika, who ran in all day and kept at the Bangladeshis. It was their relentless coupled with the sudden burst of energy that the second new-ball provided that even gave the Aussies some respite at the start of the third session. But what they couldn’t do alongside Nathan Lyon is to break open the game like they have such a reputation of doing on home soil. And have done so for so long. Even in the face of the bluster and bravado of the Bazballers from England last year.

Bangladesh’s methodical and old-school approach to breaking them down, through discipline and partnership batting though once again provided the perfect blueprint as to what can be done against this lot. It’s not since the 2018-19 summer when India put the famed quartet to the sword by amassing big totals repeatedly has a team looked so much in command with the bat as Bangladesh have over the last day and a bit. Australia’s next assignment might be an away tour in South Africa come October, but the Kiwis would be watching on closely as they begin their preparations for the four-Test tour later this year. Especially considering their batting resources and approach to Test batting, which has already provided success in India and England.

It goes back to the global impact that this Bangladesh super performance is having shining a spotlight on their own great progress as a Test team alongside throwing a bit of shade on how good this Australian Test team still are.