After fighting tooth and nail to secure a lucrative pay deal, Australia's cricketers succumbed within four days to a Bangladesh side that earns a fraction of their salaries.
Australian captain Steve Smith conceded there were no excuses for his side's fragile batting performance after they fell to their first Test loss to Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Under the 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.
But that disparity was far from evident during the first Test, with Australia's batsmen again failing to grind out the type of performance required in subcontinent conditions.
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.
Man of the match Shakib Al Hasan suggested Australia may have taken Bangladesh lightly despite the ninth-ranked Tigers having recently claimed maiden Test wins over England and Sri Lanka.
"I don't know about that but obviously after this Test match, they will show a lot more respect," Shakib replied when asked if Australia had given Bangladesh the respect they deserved.
"In the end, it is different talking to the media and playing in the ground.
"At home, we believe we can beat any side. We had that confidence and the belief came from the last two to three years ... not many have been watching us but we were quietly doing our job."
Australia will tumble to No.6 in the world rankings - their lowest point in more than six years - if Bangladesh manage to win next week's second Test in Chittagong to claim a 2-0 series victory.
That would be a huge psychological blow ahead of the Ashes but Smith conceded it would paint an accurate picture.
"I don't know if we're better than that at the moment," he said.
"I think we're still a young team, obviously some new players that have come in only last year in the summer and some guys that are still trying to find their way.
"We've still got a long way to go to rise up in the rankings and hopefully as a group we can continue to improve and get better."
