Bangladesh were better than us in every department: Cummins

Australia captain Pat Cummins admitted his side were comprehensively outplayed by Bangladesh after suffering a nine-wicket defeat in the opening Test in Darwin, saying the visitors were better in all three departments.

The defeat was a major setback for Australia, who struggled with the bat and failed to build sustained pressure with the ball during the four-day Test.

Cummins said Australia’s preparations had been sound, leaving no excuses for their performance.

“I thought from day one we were behind in the game. The preparation was good, so there are no excuses. We just needed to find a way to bat for longer,” he said after the match.

Australia’s batting collapse proved decisive, while the hosts also failed to apply enough pressure with the ball. Cummins said the team would conduct a detailed review of their batting performance, including the match-ups against Bangladesh’s bowlers.

“We’ll look at it in detail. Every game you think about particular match-ups against certain players, but we’ll review everything after the game,” he said.

Despite the defeat, Cummins remained confident Australia could recover quickly ahead of the second Test.

“We can bounce back pretty well,” he said.

The Australia skipper was also candid in his assessment of Bangladesh’s performance.

“Bangladesh were better than us in every department. They were patient and disciplined,” Cummins said.

Cameron Green’s century in Australia’s second innings was one of the few bright spots for the hosts. Cummins praised the all-rounder’s composure but felt Australia needed more support around him.

“His tempo showed what a good player he is. We just needed another couple of batters to stay out there with him,” Cummins said.

Bangladesh’s victory was their first Test win on Australian soil and their second overall against Australia.