Share

Aussie 'prima donnas' humbled by Bangladesh

Sydney - Australia's "overpaid prima donna" cricketers were shamed by their humbling first Test defeat to Bangladesh, Australian media said on Thursday, while saluting the historic achievement.

Lowly Bangladesh claimed their first-ever Test win over one-time power Australia and only their 10th in 101 Tests against all nations, beating Steve Smith's men by 20 runs on the fourth day in Dhaka on Wednesday. 

Australia are currently ranked fourth to Bangladesh's ninth in the ICC Test rankings. 

While applauding Bangladesh's feat, Australia's media focused on the huge financial disparity between the two sides. 

"What happened in Dhaka was on one hand wonderful for world cricket and on the other embarrassing for a pack of overpaid prima donnas," the Melbourne Herald-Sun thundered. 

"Australia, if you're going to go strike over their pay packets, you want to make sure you back it up in the field of play. Losing to Bangladesh is hardly doing that." 

Australia left for the Bangladesh tour after resolving a long and acrimonious pay row, in which the players walked away the winners with a five-year agreement worth an estimated Aus$500 million .

The Australian newspaper said Smith's men were "humiliated" in an "inglorious outing" by players earning far inferior salaries. 

"The hapless 11 who became the first Australian team to lose a Test to Bangladesh will be paid an average of Aus$1.36 million from Cricket Australia this financial year, or about Aus$26 000 a week," it said. 

"The team that humiliated them on a turning pitch are paid average salaries of just Aus$26,136, or about Aus$500 a week." 

The Australian's cricket writer Peter Lalor added: "Australia can't win in Asia anymore. We play suboptimal cricket on the subcontinent. Our batsmen have developed an almost fatal dust allergy."

Former Australia Test captain Ian Chappell said the defeat again confirmed how much the country's batting was dependent on Smith or David Warner. 

"As soon as they were out the usual collapse (happened) and it was a terrific win for Bangladesh," he said. 

Another former captain Michael Clarke tweeted: "Congratulations Bangladesh, didn't think I would be writing this tweet but you need to give credit where credit is due." 

Looking ahead to the showpiece Ashes series with England at home later this year, Fairfax Media's Greg Baum said it was ironic that at the same time Australia were losing, England fell to the West Indies in the 2nd Test at Headingley. 

"The least consequence was that Australians forfeited the high moral ground before they even had fully staked it out," he said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE