Simmons warns Tigers Australia will come back harder

Bangladesh have arrived in Mackay with history already behind them, but Phil Simmons does not want his players to spend too much time looking back.

The head coach knows the nine-wicket victory in Darwin has transformed the mood around the team. It has also given Bangladesh an opportunity that was barely being discussed before the series began: winning a Test series in Australia.

But Simmons expects the hosts to make life considerably more difficult in the second Test.

Australia now have no margin for error. They must win in Mackay to keep the series alive, while Bangladesh can secure the series with a draw. That difference in circumstances could make the opening stages of the Test particularly intense.

For Simmons, the key is not to treat Australia's first defeat as evidence that the job has become easier.

Bangladesh's success in Darwin came from a complete performance. Tanzid Hasan's century provided the batting breakthrough, while Hasan Mahmud repeatedly exposed Australia's batting with the new ball and finished the match with nine wickets. Mehedi Hasan Miraz added another major contribution with both bat and ball.

Australia will have studied all of it.

They have also made changes. Matt Renshaw has been brought back into the squad after Jake Weatherald was left out, signalling that the hosts are willing to alter their combination in an attempt to prevent another batting failure.

Simmons is equally conscious of the emotional side of Bangladesh's victory.

The response back home was enormous. The coach compared the celebrations surrounding the Test victory with the extraordinary reaction in Bangladesh to Argentina's success during the World Cup. For a Bangladesh team that has spent years searching for a major overseas Test result, the comparison illustrates the scale of the moment.

But Mackay requires a different mindset.

The celebration belongs to Darwin. The next challenge belongs to Bangladesh.

The Tigers also have a decision to make around their bowling combination, with Shoriful Islam available again. After the attack performed so effectively in the opening Test, however, any change will have to be considered carefully.

The bigger task is psychological.

Bangladesh must resist the temptation to believe that beating Australia once means they have solved Australia.
They have not.

What they have done is prove that they can compete, execute their plans and maintain pressure against one of the strongest teams in world cricket.

From Argentina's euphoria to Mackay's reality
Simmons admitted that the reaction to Bangladesh's historic victory was enormous, even inside the team. Reflecting on the celebrations, he said:

"Bangladesh people are emotional - and I am not the same."

The coach said the emotional impact was understandable, but he wanted his players to regain their composure quickly before the second Test.

"It's easy for me to control that, but it's difficult for them."

Simmons was encouraged by what he saw during Bangladesh's training session in Mackay, believing the players had already begun to settle down after the excitement of Darwin.

"I think looking at them today, guys have settled back down a lot."

The coach's biggest warning, however, was directed towards the challenge waiting from Australia. He expects the hosts to respond strongly after their nine-wicket defeat in Darwin.

"Australia is going to come harder."

And Simmons believes Bangladesh cannot simply reproduce their Darwin performance and expect the same result. They must either maintain that standard or improve it.

"So we have to either keep that level of performance or get a little bit better." 

That is essentially Simmons's message heading into Mackay: The celebrations belong to Darwin; the real test of Bangladesh's maturity begins with the next ball.