Nothing that has happened since then, including the mid order collapse on Sunday, that has made me change my mind, but I wrote it in the face of considerable hostility from commentators in the Australian press about the inclusion of Bangladesh as an ICC Test side. Former Australian Test player, David Hookes, for example, predicted the game would be over in a day.

I have personal theories about the motivation behind these calls to exclude Bangladesh, but the Tigers emphatically proved them wrong -- despite their loss.

And this is a view shared by the majority of journalists who covered the match and - more significantly -- by members of the Australian side. In typical Northern Territory style, the local Darwin fans took Bangladesh to their hearts, which included the formation of a "Supporters of Bangladesh" cheer squad at the game.

Let's get it into perspective.

Bangladesh has been playing Test cricket since November 2000 -- less than three years. We should not forget that it took New Zealand 26 years and 45 Tests to win a Test. India took 30 years and 25 Tests to make the grade. The West Indies started in 1928 and, although they drew their second series against England were not to become a significant opponent until 1950. Even then, it took them 35 years to beat Australia in 1965.

Australian batsman Justin Langer was full of praise for the Bangladeshis in a piece he wrote in the Australian press yesterday.

"Bangladesh would be proud of the disciplined way they went about their work in the field.

"What they lack in raw talent and experience that Bangladeshis certainly make up for in discipline, determination and effort."

The praise for the Bangladeshis in the field was universal, and there is considerable excitement about Mashrafee-bin-Mortuza, who was recorded as bowling at 143 kilometres an hour on Saturday and caused considerable unease for the Australians.

Make no mistake about it.

The current Australian side is one of the most formidable in the history of the game. The slips cordon ranged behind Hannan Sarker and Javed Omar was not so much intimidating as murderous. That was a deliberate tactic by an Australian team that has adopted a "take no prisoners" approach to international contests. It was the fourth time in 20 Tests that Bangladesh failed, in the first innings of this Test, to make 100 but we should not forget that England were skittled out for 79 by Australia late last year.

And England would have been jealous of the figures achieved by Habibul Bashar and Hannan Sarkar at the beginning of the second innings, belting the Australian speed attack for more than 4 runs an over for their 81 run partnership.

The Bangladesh team last night enjoyed a community celebration with their compatriots who now call Darwin home. The team heads off today for Cairns in north Queensland where they will play another Test and two one day matches, before their return to Darwin for the final one day match on August 6.

They will leave a different team. They have been blooded by the best in the world -- and have come out stronger for the experience. Yes, they will have to pay greater attention to the shortcomings in their batting that Dav Whatmore has identified. And yes, they will have to maintain the discipline they have shown in the field thus far.

But by facing the Australians in a Test match at the very highest level they have done something that no other Bangladesh team has thus far achieved.

As the underdogs of Test cricket, the Bangladesh side -- the youngest in the world -- has previously had no one to look up to but themselves. The players of future Tigers Test sides will have the knowledge that Bangladesh can take it to the best in the world.