Bangladesh's Australian turnaround: From commercially unviable to centre stage

Time is a great leveller.

For Bangladesh cricket, it seems to be just the case following their historic win against Australia at Darwin, as they now find themselves on the other side of the table, if not anything else.

Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced that all tickets for the opening day of the second Test are sold out, with the hosts taking on the tourists in an attempt to level the series at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from August 22.

Bangladesh hogged all the spotlight across the world following their nine-wicket win over Australia in the opening Test at Darwin. But it was not long ago that they faced rejection from Cricket Australia when they were expected to tour Down Under.

Bangladesh, who travelled to Australia in 2003, were expected to play two Tests and three ODIs in Australia in 2018. But Australia refused to host them, with CA announcing that it was unable to host Bangladesh as they were not commercially viable, suggesting that the touring party was not good enough to attract viewership.

Former BCB director Jalal Yunus, who was part of the board at that point, seemed to be enjoying the moment, as things have changed to a great extent.

"It was in 2018 when we were scheduled to play two Tests and three ODIs but later it was postponed as their free-to-air broadcasters were focused on football at the time and weren't interested in showing the series," Jalal, the former media committee chairman, told Cricbuzz on Tuesday.

"Things are totally different now (after beating Australia) and those days are gone," he added.

Habibul Bashar, former national skipper and current chief selector, echoed the same sentiment, adding that they managed to attract crowds even in the first Test.

"For the first Test, 80% of the tickets were sold, and by the fourth day, 90% were sold out. I mean, by the fourth day, all the tickets were sold out. They didn't come, somehow. Probably they realised that Australia's chances were low. They were sitting at home waiting, thinking they would come if things went well. But by the fourth day, all the tickets were sold out. There were no tickets left for the fourth day," said Habibul, who is travelling with the squad, after reaching Mackay on Tuesday.

"This is an amazing thing happening. I mean, Australians are coming in after we beat them. Yesterday we had a team dinner as the Bangladesh High Commission invited us and they took us to a restaurant for dinner," he said.

"When we entered the restaurant there were all these Aussie people there and everyone stood up and started clapping," he said.

"This is something I have never, never, ever experienced in my life," he said.

"And today, when we're travelling, when we entered the airport, whether we went into the lounge or downstairs, everyone came up to us and showed their appreciation," he said.

All this hype can change quickly if Bangladesh fail to pass the test in Mackay, where their biggest challenge lies in making sure what they achieved in Darwin was not a fluke.

Najmul and co reached their next Test destination with their hearts filled with memories of joy following their historic Test win against Australia in Darwin. But Habibul insisted that, as far as they are concerned, they are not interested in resting on their laurels.

"I think, from what I saw and from the conversations I had today, nobody wants to talk about the first Test match anymore," said Habibul. "It is over. It is history.

"We've got over that period (thinking we have achieved something after beating Australia) and nobody is talking about the first Test match. So, we're thinking about the next Test," he said.

Can Bangladesh break the chain and create a new history is something that remains to be seen. But if they manage to end the series on a high note, it can be a huge boost for them, as they can find themselves at the bargaining table for more games against bigger Test-playing nations.

"There will be an FTP meeting next month and this victory will help us in discussions with other teams," BCB president Tamim Iqbal said following their historic Test win against Australia.

"We will try to make the FTP as competitive as possible and play against the bigger teams," he said.

Psychologists argue that the deepest mark of hierarchy is not that the powerful believe they deserve more, but that the weak believe they deserve less.

Bangladesh needs to make a statement that suggests they deserve more, unlike in the past.