Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Hasan Mahmud’s Mental Health Battles Preceded Historic Australian Test Triumph
Hasan Mahmud is a cricket player from Bangladesh.
When he was young, he watched Lakshmipathy Balaji and tried to bowl like him.
His coach, Monir Hossain, believed Hasan was special because he could bowl accurately.
Hasan faced several difficult moments and sometimes thought about quitting cricket.
He was dropped from teams, suffered a shoulder injury, and was later troubled by back pain.
During the pandemic, he became so upset that he stopped answering calls and stopped training.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board helped him get treatment in England.
He eventually returned to cricket and took nine wickets against Australia in Darwin.
His performance helped Bangladesh win a Test match in Australia for the first time.
Hasan Mahmud took nine wickets in Darwin, the most by a Bangladeshi bowler away from home in Test history.
His performance helped Bangladesh secure their first Test victory on Australian soil.
Mahmud’s coach, Monir Hossain, said the bowler idolised Lakshmipathy Balaji after watching him in the 2012 IPL.
Mahmud repeatedly considered quitting after being dropped, injured, overlooked, or sidelined by unexplained back pain.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board eventually sent him to England, where doctors found a remedy for his back problem.
- Who
- Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud, coached by Monir Hossain.
- What
- Mahmud took nine wickets and helped Bangladesh achieve its first Test victory on Australian soil.
- When
- His cricket journey began with his admiration for Balaji in 2012; the article describes his later breakthrough in Darwin.
- Where
- Darwin, Australia, with earlier career developments in Bangladesh and England.
- Why
- Mahmud’s achievement followed his recovery from repeated setbacks, mental health struggles, injuries, and back pain.
- Bowler
- Hasan Mahmud
- Coach
- Monir Hossain
- Darwin wickets
- Nine
- Historical record
- Most wickets by a Bangladeshi bowler away from home in the team’s 26-year Test history
- Team achievement
- Bangladesh’s first Test victory on Australian soil
- Childhood idol
- Lakshmipathy Balaji
- Treatment location
- England