Simmons, who guided the West Indies to a World Cup title, is not often seen celebrating openly. But after Bangladesh produced one of the biggest wins in their Test history, the usually reserved coach could not hide his satisfaction.
Footage shared by the Bangladesh Cricket Board showed Simmons celebrating with his players in the dressing room after the nine-wicket victory in Darwin.
Addressing his players, Simmons reflected on the significance of the moment.
“I’ve had this feeling many times, but every time it feels the same. The feeling of winning, and winning in Australia against Australia, doesn’t come easily. I’ve experienced it many times, but even today I know exactly how I feel in this moment.”
Simmons knows just how difficult it is to beat Australia in their own conditions. Having enjoyed major success throughout his coaching career, he believes the Darwin victory could eventually rank among the biggest achievements of every member of the Bangladesh squad.
“Khaled, TJ (Taijul) have been around for a long time, Amit, Shariful, Shadman, Hasan and Ebadot have also been with us for a long time. Tamim is here too. Right now, you may not fully realise what this means. But when you look back at the end of your careers, you will realise this is one of the biggest things you have achieved in your careers.”
Simmons took charge of Bangladesh in September 2024 and has since overseen a remarkable period in the team’s Test cricket. Under his leadership, Bangladesh secured their first Test victory in the West Indies, completed a historic home Test series whitewash against Pakistan and now defeated Australia in Darwin.
But Simmons is not satisfied with what has already been achieved. Instead, he wants Bangladesh to maintain the same process and prepare for an even bigger challenge, the possibility of winning the series in Australia.
“Now I want us to hold on to one thing. For success and consistent success, we have to understand how to control our emotions. Today the emotions will be very high. But we have to be careful not to let them get too high, because we still have one more match to play to win the series.”
Simmons also reminded the players that the job is only halfway done.
“We have successfully completed the first part of our tour. We didn’t come here to play just one Test match; we came here to play two. We have finished one now. We have a few days ahead of us where we can enjoy this feeling.”
Bangladesh will now turn their attention to the second Test, knowing that victory would transform their historic triumph in Darwin into an even greater achievement, a series win over Australia on Australian soil.
