Australia ponder way forward after 'most humbling' test defeat to Bangladesh

Australia players leave the field after their nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin.

A home series against Bangladesh may have seemed the perfect chance for Australia to shake off rust and ease into a huge year of test cricket, but the shambolic defeat to the South Asian side in Darwin has the top-ranked hosts searching for answers to uncomfortable questions about their future. Australia's nine-wicket loss, completed on Sunday inside four days, was variously described in local media as one of the country's biggest test humiliations following domination by ninth-ranked Bangladesh.

"Let's call this out for the gob-smacking shambles that it was ... Australia's nine wicket loss to Bangladesh is both the greatest upset in Test history and the most humbling Test loss ever suffered by an Australian cricket team," veteran cricket writer Robert Craddock opined in the Courier Mail newspaper.

Australia captain Pat Cummins has backed his team to rebound from the stunning loss but concedes changes may be needed to fix the team's troubled batting. The world's top-ranked test nation were bowled out for 198 in the first innings on a tepid pitch at Marrara Oval, with only their 37-year-old master Steve Smith able to produce a decent score of 71.

"It's pretty clear it's not quite functioning as well as we'd like as a group, so I'm sure the batters will get together and talk," said Cummins. He added that the selectors would have a think about whether changes were needed ahead of the second test in Mackay.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the nation's belated focus on pace was yielding rewards after the South Asian underdogs pulled off a seismic upset. The tourists were missing leading quicks Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam to injury but managed to bowl Australia out for 198 in the first innings, with all 10 wickets falling to pace at Marrara Oval.

Bangladesh chased down 57 runs to complete a landmark nine-wicket victory over Australia in the series opener in Darwin on Sunday in one of test cricket's greatest upsets. The visitors recorded their first test win in Australia and one of their finest victories ever in the longest format.

Australia is contemplating alterations to the batting order for the Test in Mackay, with opener Jake Weatherald and the inconsistent Marnus Labuschagne reportedly in the firing line. Cameron Green will get an extended run in one position after scoring his first Test century on home soil in the second innings.

Former players and experts have torn into Australia's performance, with all of them unanimous in saying that it is one of the biggest upsets in Australian cricket history and an "unacceptable" result for the top-ranked side. The defeat has accelerated calls for regeneration of the ageing Test team