An emboldened Bangladesh have declared themselves ready to consign Australia to a crushing series defeat after claiming an historic victory in the first Test in Dhaka.
Dismissed for so long as cricketing minnows, Bangladesh turned the tables on their heavyweight opponents with a 20-run win that will stand as one of their proudest achievements.
A similar triumph in next week's second and final Test in Chittagong would result in Australia tumbling to No.6 in the world rankings.
Under their new pay deal, the top Australian players are thought to earn as much as 20 times more than some of their Bangladeshi counterparts for representing their country.
That disparity was far from evident during the first Test, with Australia's batsmen largely unable to handle the Bangladeshi spin onslaught led by man of the match Shakib Al Hasan.
Left-arm spinner Shakib underscored his status as the world's No.1 ranked allrounder across all formats, claiming five-wicket hauls in both digs after top-scoring with 84 in the first innings.
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said his side had proven themselves capable of standing up to the Australians.
"They had aggression but we also showed that Bangladesh can be an aggressive side," Mushfiqur said.
"They saw it in our body language, apart from how we did with the bat and ball.
"If you noticed towards the end of the first session, (Australian batsman Glenn) Maxwell tried to ensure that there was no more overs by taking up five of the six minutes.
"The Australian team were on the back foot, trying not to play an over. I thought it is a huge message."
Questions remain about whether the Australians were mentally prepared for their first series on Bangladeshi soil since 2006.
A marathon pay dispute meant the tour was only confirmed a fortnight before the team's departure, while security concerns had led to previous visits being scuppered.
"They found out that we are no longer the Bangladesh of old, that we now have the players who can now change the course of a match from any position," Mushfiqur said.
"But we should be careful of not becoming too complacent.
"It is hard to get the Australian team under pressure so we must take the opportunity to win the series."
