DHAKA, June 19: Tens of thousands of Bangladeshis poured on to the streets and partied into the early hours on Sunday after their struggling national cricket team pulled off the greatest upset in one-day history.

Television channels showed scenes of spontaneous celebration across the impoverished South Asian nation after the cricket minnows beat world champions Australia by five wickets in the triangular series in Cardiff.

“This is the biggest moment for us. We beat the champions of the world and proved that we are worth our Test status,” reveller Iqbal Ahmed, 18, said.

The teenager was one of thousands who took part in an impromptu victory procession through the streets of his Dhaka neighbourhood, with drum-beating revellers chanting “God bless Bangladesh” and “We can do it”.

Cricket officials said they were stunned and delighted by the result.

“I am simply without words,” president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Ali Asghar Lobby reacted.

“The victory is all the sweeter because we have been facing so much criticism. This is my proudest moment,” he added.

In a congratulatory message, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said she hoped the team would “continue the winning streak in the matches ahead”, the private UNB agency said.

It was a remarkable display by a Bangladesh side who’d won just nine of their previous one-day internationals — four against fellow strugglers Zimbabwe and one against Pakistan — a match many believe to have been ‘fixed’ at the 1999 World Cup — and India with their other wins coming against non-Test opponents Kenya, Scotland and Hong Kong.—Agencies