Bangladesh Test skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto stated on Sunday that their maiden Test win over Australia in their own backyard was their biggest cricketing achievement yet.

Bangladesh produced one of the biggest upsets in their Test history, defeating Australia by nine wickets in Darwin on Sunday to secure their first victory in the format on Australian soil. The visitors completed the remarkable win in the fourth afternoon, chasing down a target of 57 after bowling Australia out for 284 in their second innings, with Mominul Haque hitting the winning runs to seal a historic result.

“I think we have a lot of big wins in all three formats of Bangladesh cricket. But I would say that so far, this is the biggest win for Bangladesh and there was a lot of hard work behind it. So I think this is the biggest win in the history of Bangladesh,” Shanto told reporters after the game.

“I think we played very good cricket. Of course, the plan was to play five days of cricket and each session was about how well we could play cricket. But the way we dominated from Day 1 is definitely a matter of pride. The way everyone worked hard and everyone played their role, that's what we got. So I think it was like four days of play, so we played very good cricket on all four days,” he said.

While Hasan Mahmud’s nine-wicket match haul, Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s maiden Test ton and Mehidy’s all-round exploits underlined Bangladesh’s win, Shanto credited the entire team for their efforts.

“My Man of the Match to be very honest is [the entire] Bangladesh team. Because if you see, everyone contributed in some way or the other. In my eyes, Tamim's first hundred is definitely a special moment for him, playing only his second Test. Miraz has produced such performances before and the way he batted and bowled in these conditions is outstanding.

“Even Shadman's [Shadman Islam] 20 runs in that first innings were very important. But for me, if I put everything aside and mention one thing, I would say that the way the lower order batters batted - Hasan, Taijul [Islam], Taskin [Ahmed], even Ebadot [Hossain], that contribution was very important for the team. So I think they should be given a lot of credit,” he added.

Ahead of the Test, there were question marks over whether Bangladesh would be able to match the might of the Australians. The concerns grew louder after Bangladesh were rolled over for 54 by Cricket Australia XI in the warmup fixture.

Najmul said that they were more concerned about the challenges rather than outside noise.

“You see, if you play well, there will always be good talk. If you play badly, there will be bad talk, it is very natural. But as a player, our job is to perform regularly. Because at the end of the day, the hard work we put in may be reflected on the field. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't. But the process is important. So without worrying too much about the outside noise, we focus more on how we can play good cricket,” Shanto said.

“Of course, the conditions are tough, there's no denying that. [Against a] world class bowling attack, batting attack, so all in all, they're a very good team. But before we came to this series, there was always a conversation between us that we don't really get much opportunity to play here. So [the talk was around] how we enjoy this challenge. And this is an opportunity for us to score well against such bowling, to bowl well against such batting. So we should enjoy these challenges rather than thinking negatively about what will happen in these conditions.

“I think everyone enjoyed the whole four days and accepted the challenge very well,” he said.

Shanto reckoned that Bangladesh made a statement about their versatility as a Test team and hoped that it would prompt teams to invite them for more Test series in future.

“I think we have been able to send a good message to world cricket that we have the ability to play well in any condition. So I think in the future we will get more and more opportunities to play Test matches in such conditions and we will be invited. Because when we get that opportunity, we will be able to show our skills and we will have ideas on how to play in such conditions. So I hope that this win will be a very good memory for our future Test cricket and everyone will invite us more and more to play in such conditions,” he said.

Shanto, however, stated that Bangladesh were not looking too far ahead despite being firmly in the hunt for a spot in the World Test Championship final.

“If you look at the points table, we definitely have opportunities. But I always say as a captain that we don't think too far in the dressing room. How can we play this series well or play this Test match well is important. Because yes, it's a very good, big win, the best win in the history of the country. But I will say that we are not that experienced a team yet. But the Test team is slowly getting into a good position