Darwin, Aug 16 — Former players and experts have tore into Australia's performance on Sunday following their nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test, with all of them being unanimous in saying that it is one of the biggest upsets in Australian cricket history and an "unacceptable" result for the top-ranked side.
At the Marrara Stadium, Australia were on the backfoot from day one after being bowled out for 198 in their first innings, and with Bangladesh chasing down 57 on day four for a memorable win, the hosts are now 1-0 behind in the two-game series.
Evaluating the magnitude of the defeat, former Australia batter Mark Waugh noted that the hosts paid a heavy price for being off their game against a spirited Bangladesh. “The Australians have been off their game and they have paid the price. This could possibly be the biggest upset I could remember in Australian cricket in Australia.
“The West Indies beat Australia at the Gabba three or four years ago and that was an upset. But this one, given the fact their two best bowlers are not playing, the ICC rankings on the table, the powerful Australian team back at full strength with their bowling line-up, it is a big one, this one,” he said to broadcasters Fox Sports.
With the Australian top-order faltering, Waugh also suggested that selection changes might be on the cards ahead of the second Test starting at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay on August 22, as the venue hosts its first-ever men’s Test.
“You have to bite the bullet at some stage if the batting keeps failing. It is as simple as that, no matter who the opposition is. I think Weatherald is the one most under pressure and it would not surprise me if there were two changes. It would be nice to give someone a Test match leading into South Africa," he said.
However, former leg-spinner Kerry O’Keeffe expects the team management to hold back on immediate knee-jerk changes. “I think the inside intel is that Marnus and Weatherald will be given another chance with the fast bowlers one-nil down the series,” he said.
Former Australia women's captain Alyssa Healy described the outcome as a timely wake-up call for the Australian squad ahead of a demanding international schedule. “We have got carried away with how big this summer is but this is a wakeup call for Australia and probably one they needed after breezing through last summer in what was a really big summer for Australian cricket.
“They were coming off the real high of that and then looking ahead to this summer and some big contests but they have been challenged early and if it does come to be that they lose this Test match, I think they will reflect on that and think, ‘Maybe we need to improve in some areas to make sure we stay on top of the world?’" she said.
Former opener David Warner expressed confidence that the team would mount a strong comeback in the second Test in Mackay, driven by disappointment over their performance. “There’ll be a huge response. This is a massive thing in Australian sport. Australia is supposed to dominate cricket in this country.
“You lose an Ashes series or you lose a Test series against India, like Australia did, and you know what the media headlines are going to be. But from that standpoint, the players wouldn’t be worrying about that. They’ll be just filthy and sort of disgusted, in a way, about their performance, but they know that there’s a job at hand," said Warner.
On SEN Radio, former Australia fast bowler Trent Copeland termed the defeat entirely unacceptable for the world's top-ranked Test team. “The players themselves will be, I'm sure, distraught with how this has gone. I also think there is an element of they won't be sitting in this like the world is over either but this is a completely unacceptable test match result for Australia.
“When you are in your own conditions, I don't care the preparation, I don't care who's playing for Australia even. You cannot lose to Bangladesh in Australia in a Test match. I'm hesitant to go all in on it, but this is an embarrassing loss and one that's unacceptable, and the people who will know that most are the 11 blokes who've taken the field, and Andrew McDonald and the coaching group.”