First Test, Darwin (day four of five)

Australia 198: (Smith 71; Mahmud 6-55) & 284 (Green 104; Miraz 5-66)

Bangladesh 426: (Tanzid 101, Shanto 84, Miraz 65; Hazlewood 6-89) & 57-1 (Mominul 30*)

Bangladesh win by nine wickets

Scorecard

Bangladesh thrashed Australia by nine wickets on the fourth day of the series-opener in Darwin to complete one of Test cricket’s greatest upsets.

After bowling the hosts out for 284 and needing 57 to win, Mominul Haque cut Beau Webster to the boundary for the winning runs to seal the nation’s first Test victory in Australia.

The moment sparked jubilation among Bangladesh players and staff as they celebrated arguably their greatest victory in 26 years of competing in Test cricket.

Australia are the top-ranked Test nation while Bangladesh haven’t played a series under the five-day format in the country since a 2-0 defeat in 2003.

The visitors were on top of the match throughout, but it was spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz who took the spotlight on day four as he took 5-66 to dismiss Australia for 284, leaving just 57 runs needed to win.

All-rounder Cameron Green showed fight with a valiant 104 but after being bowled by Hasan Mahmud, Australia’s faint hopes of saving the Test all but disappeared.

Seamer Mahmud was named player of the match after claiming 6-55 in the first innings and 3-56 in the second.

“This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format,” captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.

“Going forward we want to do something special in the future. I’m very happy, proud of myself and the way the boys played. We did a lot of hard work.”

Speaking on ABC, commentator Jim Maxwell described the result as one of the most “embarrassing defeats that Australia have ever suffered in Test cricket”.

Miraz’s second innings performance followed a gritty 65 with the bat on day three that helped Bangladesh into a healthy first innings lead, before he dismissed talisman Steve Smith in Australia’s second innings to set up victory.

The spinner continued his form on day four as he had wicketkeeper Alex Carey caught behind for 30 before bowling all-rounder Webster for five with a pair of sumptuous deliveries to bring Australia’s tail into play.

The 28-year-old then had Australia captain Pat Cummins caught in close for eight, before a defiant 43-run eighth-wicket partnership between Green and Mitchell Starc was ended when Taskin Ahmed had the latter caught behind for 18.

Green dug in for his third Test century in his home country in a timely knock amid criticism of his place in the side, but after being dismissed by Mahmud, Miraz removed Nathan Lyon to leave Bangladesh in touching distance of victory.

Despite losing opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim for a duck to Josh Hazlewood in the second over, Mominul’s unbeaten 30 and Shadman Islam’s 25 sealed the resounding win.

“They outplayed us in all facets, they were patient and disciplined,” said Cummins.

“I thought our prep was spot-on, no excuses.”

Australia’s only previous Test defeat by Bangladesh was at Mirpur in 2017.

The match was the first of a two-Test series, with the second beginning on 22 August (01:00 BST), which you can follow with live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

Pre-season is often a time for optimism across football. Why do any of us bother if you cannot get excited about your team’s prospects before a ball is kicked?

And then there are the times when your team plays how Leeds United did yesterday and you have to stop yourself from getting carried away. Even more so when it is Leeds.

Most Leeds supporters will tell you that, over the last 25 years, they have been given more than a few reasons to be sceptical when things seem to be going too well. The manner of the 4-0 win over Augsburg may have been triggering for a few of them.

When you park the age-old pre-season caveats of how the transfer window is still open, how a squad can always be improved upon, how opposition can be hit-and-miss and how a team can play better with the pressure off, you can, quite fairly, assess the state of play on its merits.

This was a strong, stable, reliable line-up selected by Daniel Farke that Augsburg, ninth in last term’s Bundesliga, could not live with across an opening 45 minutes. Leeds were dominant, entertaining and efficient. They deserved their 3-0 lead — the first period even featuring an overhead kick scored by their new 6ft 4in centre back Tarik Muharemovic.

It is also fair to say the second half was not as entertaining or effective, but still had positive moments, including the fourth goal of the day, as substitutions were made and the system was changed. One brilliant half against mid-table Bundesliga opposition does not guarantee anything from next Saturday and beyond, but it does give supporters something to cling to and believe in.

Investment is still needed, too. Nico Elvedi, the Swiss international centre-back being drafted in to allow Sebastiaan Bornauw to pursue the minutes he desires elsewhere, is unlikely to be the last man in.

Backups are still needed at goalkeeper, left wing-back and centre-forward. The door is open for starters, as always. A left-wing option may materialise.

This summer, chairman Paraag Marathe told Men In Blazers they want to remain able to do business late in the window if a previously unavailable target comes to market. He said: “It’s important to keep a little bit extra in your kitty so you have the ability to be nimble and flexible on that last day.”

Saturday’s XI, however, missing injured left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson and undercooked forward Noah Okafor, set the table better than adequately for the campaign ahead. This looks like the line-up Farke will choose at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, barring superhuman training performance or injury at Thorp Arch.

Even the selection calls which may have been borderline seemed to be put to bed. In midfield, Sean Longstaff has been excellent throughout pre-season and had outshone Anton Stach before this game, but the latter looked back to something like his best with an all-action display which covered every blade of grass.

Anton Stach was back to his best against Augsburg (George Wood/Getty Images)

Brenden Aaronson was arguably the other question mark, but he has been decent this summer and played his part in neat attacking play against Augsburg. Once Okafor is sharper, he may wrestle that spot away from the American.

Goalkeeper James Trafford, now 135 minutes into his Leeds career after his move from Manchester City, was on the end of one of Farke’s on-pitch tactical debriefs at the final whistle. The manager said: “We have a few processes in the build-up, how we want to bypass the opponent.

“We spoke about how, if we see the opponent reacts to this (plan A), we don’t force it too much and go for plan B and C, but we try to give him the signs during the game.”

Trafford was excellent on his home debut. Augsburg did not ask him to save too much, but his positioning, passing and vision were impressive. Time and time again, he found Dominic Calvert-Lewin in advanced positions, or showed the ability to sweep up the ball and then play a pass through the lines off his weaker left foot.

In defence, Joe Rodon was renamed ‘Joe Salah’ by Farke during his post-match huddle with reporters. The Wales international was unleashed as an attacking, upfield threat on the right of United’s back-three last season, but the quantity and quality of his surges have caught the eye this summer.

The defender was repeatedly seen in line with Calvert-Lewin as the most advanced players. His relationship with Jayden Bogle and Ethan Ampadu, in knowing when to venture forward on their right flank, is second nature now.

Joe Rodon has impressed throughout pre-season (George Wood/Getty Images)

Muharemovic not only scored an overhead kick, but continued to look rock solid in defence, alongside Jaka Bijol. Ampadu was as combative as ever, dominating the midfield, while Stach’s early goal set the tone for a performance which reminded everyone of his natural box-to-box ability.

Calvert-Lewin’s importance was only underlined in the quality of the team’s third goal. The weight of touch and speed of one-two with James Justin was poetic. That was the big pay-off, but he was doing it all afternoon.

Keeping the No 9 fit remains one of the most important targets of the season. His chemistry with Harry Wilson is coming. There were a couple of moments where they did not quite read each other, but if they had, they would have unlocked the German side.

That will come. Winning breeds confidence, and the tail is up for the Premier League opener away to Nottingham Forest next Saturday. It all feels strangely calm and well-drilled. Just do not get carried away.

Despite Manchester City’s Women’s Super League win, it’s Arsenal who would come out on top in a combined 2025-26 Premier League and WSL table.

The Gunners get over the line by three points thanks to their seven-point advantage over Man City at the end of the Premier League season.

A formidable strikeforce of Erling Haaland and Khadija Shaw is a scary thought though – the pair netted a combined total of 48 league goals last season.

Despite a 10th-placed finish in the Premier League, Chelsea are fourth thanks to finishing third in the WSL.

West Ham are bottom of the clubs that competed in both competitions, amassing a total of 58 points.