Muted celebrations, bigger ambitions: Business as usual for Bangladesh

CBTF Jun 11, 2026
21:40:00
Muted celebrations, bigger ambitions: Business as usual for Bangladesh

There was no sign of huge celebration after their historic ODI series win over Australia as they beat the tourists by five wickets in the second game to clinch the three-match series with one game in hand.

Bangladesh etched their name in ODI history on Thursday, overhauling a rain-revised target of 192 with five wickets and 36 balls remaining at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium to become the first Bangladesh side to defeat Australia in an ODI series.

The triumph added another feather to Bangladesh's cap in the form of their fifth straight home ODI series victory, a run that has now accounted for Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand and now Australia.

For a country like Bangladesh, earning a series win over Australia can certainly be considered as one of their biggest achievements in their cricketing history but the cricketers and the team management members seemed to have learnt to control their emotions, if not anything else.

There were no extravagant celebrations, no euphoria, no excessive hype, and no screaming or shouting.

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons was sitting alone in the dugout with his usual smile on his face trying to absorb the moment in his own little way, but he did not take the series win as a surprise by any means.

When asked by Cricbuzz following the win on Thursday about the unexpectedly calm atmosphere following such a significant victory from a historical perspective, Simmons had a simple explanation.

"That is what happens when you get accustomed to winning. Winning is not a surprise anymore," Simmons said, referring to the fact that Bangladesh's job is not finished yet.

"We have one more match to go. So it is as simple as that. That is the mood of the Bangladesh camp at the moment," he added.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal, who was having a chat with the coaching staff members, stepped out of the meeting to personally congratulate Simmons for the achievement. The West Indian returned to the dressing room after Taskin Ahmed returned from the post match press conference much like a parent taking his child home after a hectic examination.

There was some kind of concern over Mehidy Hasan Miraz as he was taken to the hospital immediately after guiding his team over the line, having been hit on the head by a Nathan Ellis bouncer.

"We have taken him to Evercare Hospital for a scan and we will keep him under observation for 24 hours," the BCB said in a statement.

BCB officials insisted they cannot make any official comment before the result of the scan but despite this unease it seemed all were quite focussed on their next game rather than feeling they have done their job, a trend that was followed in the past.

"You cannot expect us to act like the way we did in the past as we are well aware that we need to keep our emotion in check if we want to do well against big team," said another member of the coaching staff that suggested this Bangladesh team will certainly not get carried away with a win or two as they have big dreams in mind, if not anything else.


 

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