Bangladesh cricket team stunned Pat Cummins-led Australia by nine-wickets in the first Test of two-match series at Darwin.
Published: August 17, 2026, 11:03 AM IST
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Bangladesh cricket team after defeating Australia by nine wickets in 1st Test at Darwin(Source: X)
World Test Championships (WTC) 2025-27: Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Bangladesh team left the cricketing world stunned with their nine-wicket win over former World Test Championships (WTC) champions Australia at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on SundayWhile Australia retain their top spot in the WTC 2025-27 Points with 7 wins and 2 losses and a PCT of 77.78, Bangladesh have improved their ratings to 66.67 with 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw in their 5 matches so far.
Bangladesh’s win has proven to be bad news for WTC finalists Teams India – who are behind their Asian counterparts in 5th place with a PCT of 48.15 with 4 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw in 9 Tests so farBefore Bangladesh’s win over Australia, Shubman Gill’s side need 7 wins in remaining 9 Tests to reach the WTC final next year but now those chances have dimmed to 5 per cent as they need 8 wins now.
India are currently facing Sri Lanka in first of two Test matches at Galle and have 2 Tests against New Zealand and five Tests against Australia remaining in the current WTC cycleBangladesh have slightly better odds than India currently of reaching the WTC Final at this stage at 9 per cent.
They need to 5 out of their remaining 7 Tests in the cycle to book a berth in the final for the first timeThey have one Test remaining in the current series against Australia, then have a couple of away Tests against WTC reigning champions South Africa and two Tests each at home against England and West Indies.
Here are the chances of top teams of reaching the WTC 2025-27 final…
WTC Finals chances update after the Darwin Test
Australia’s chances dropped from 89% to 61% after the loss to Bangladesh
New Zealand benefitted the most from the result with this result allowing them a better chance of qualifying with 6 wins itselfpic.twitter.com/yge9BpwUM6
— Krishna Kumar (@KrishnaKRM) August 16, 2026
South Africa, who defeated India at home 2-0 last year, have the best chance of reaching the final at 79 per cent – needing to win only 6 out of their remaining 10 TestsOut of these 8 Tests will be at home and two away against Sri Lanka.
Pat Cummins-led Australia are also in a comfortable position, needing 7 wins in 13 Tests but out of these only 5 are at home – one against Bangladesh and 4 against New ZealandThey have 61 per cent chance of reaching the final.
Former WTC winners New Zealand are behind SA and Australia with odds of qualifying for the finalThey also need six wins in 10 Tests but have six Tests away from home against Australia and PakistanThey have about 45 per cent chance of reaching the final at this stage.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was aiming for a series whitewash against Australia ahead of the second Test.
“Of course we are thinking that way (clinching the series), and we want to stay focused on the approach we have taken,” Mehidy Hasan Miraz was quoted as saying by ICC.
“Since we won the first match, an even bigger challenge awaits us(But) winning a Test match is never easyRight now, we just want to carry this momentum forward, and we will plan for the next match later,” he added.
The second Test between Australia and Bangladesh will begin at Mackay on Saturday.
