Hard slog in wind and rain

New Zealand’s bowlers have a fight on their hands in the first cricket test after they were shaded by Bangladesh’s batsmen amid the howling wind and rain on day one in Wellington yesterday.

After captain Kane Williamson won the toss on a Basin Reserve pitch he described as soft and likely to assist seam movement, the tourists had the upper hand when rain forced an early finish.

With just 29 overs possible till the second stoppage at 2.40pm, the tourists were 119-2 and deservedly happy with their work.

Wellington’s weather lived up to its reputation as gale force northerlies forecast for up to 120kmh rattled the Vance Stand and forced camera operators down from their scaffolding at the southern end due to safety concerns.

Combined with the emerald green pitch it should have sent the Bangladesh batsmen scurrying for the hills but they warmed to their task and showed the pitch held few terrors.

The hosts face a welcome scrap to make it 20 wins from as many home matches against Bangladesh in all formats..

New Zealand’s bowlers clearly struggled for rhythm in the gale.

The new ball hardly swung at all for Tim Southee and Trent Boult up front, and aside from one or two from Southee it barely seamed off a consistent, if a little sluggish, pitch.

Southee was the pick while Boult was expensive early, and Neil Wagner created some halfchances but couldn’t break through after being the test side’s most incisive bowler of 2016.

Opener Tamim Iqbal punished anything wide or overpitched in a typical counterattacking knock, back in familiar climes after he averaged 39 in six Twenty20 games for Wellington in 2013.

The left-hander topscored with 56 off 50 balls while No 3 Mominul Haque, who scored 181, 22 not out, 47 and 126 against New Zealand at home in 2013, was unbeaten on 48.

Arriving with an average of 52 from 19 tests, the diminutive leftie Mominul showed his class and his three boundaries in one Boult over were high quality, all around the park.

The quirks of the decision review system were a big talking point. It flummoxed then delighted New Zealand as they removed the dangerous Tamim lbw to Boult.

Tamim earlier survived a confident lbw appeal by Colin de Grandhomme on 31.