Australian skipper Pat Cummins offered no excuses after his side suffered a humbling nine-wicket loss against Bangladesh in the Darwin Test, acknowledging that the touring team thoroughly outplayed the hosts. Reflecting on the historic defeat - Bangladesh’s first Test victory on Australian soil - Cummins pinpointed the opening day as the moment Australia allowed the match to slip from their grasp.

"Probably that day one. You know, I thought our preparation was, you know, pretty much spot on. I thought it was excellent. So, yeah, no excuses. They played really well. You know, I thought the day one wicket was doing a little bit early, but obviously got to try and find a way to bat a little bit longer than we did, and then, yeah, just couldn't penetrate with the ball.

But, yeah, I thought they played really well," he said.

The result brought swift scrutiny to Australia’s lead-up to the series, especially given Cummins’ comments in March highlighting how several squad members sacrificed lucrative contracts in England's The Hundred to prioritize red-ball preparation.

"Some of our guys are saying no to half a million pounds for 20 days' work to go and play those two Test matches against Bangladesh," Pat Cummins had said a few months ago.

Despite the heavy defeat, the captain stood by the squad's readiness, maintaining that their pre-series buildup was spot-on.

Addressing potential squad changes for the upcoming second Test in Mackay, Cummins urged composure, noting that the team needs time to reflect and review match-ups before making tactical adjustments.

"I think every time there's a game like this, you always kind of look at your match-ups and, you know, your make-up of the team for the next one. But, yeah, we only just finished, so we'll have a think about it.

You know, we're pretty good at bouncing back, so no doubt the batters and every group will get together and have a good think about this one and where we can improve," said the Australia skipper.

You know, we're pretty good at bouncing back, so no doubt the batters and every group will get together and have a good think about this one and where we can improve," said the Australia skipper.