Southee joins 200 club as NZ belt Bangladesh
Warner, Khawaja to skip NZ
On a positive note for Bangladesh, they didn’t have any players stretchered off Hagley Oval despite one nasty blow to a helmet and significant self-inflicted damage preceding a tour-ending test defeat to the Black Caps.
In the first test at the Basin Reserve the absence of Imrul Kayes and test captain Mushfiqur Rahim for significant parts of their second innings were mitigating factors as they unexpectedly slumped to a seven-wicket defeat after posting a record 595-8 declared.
And once the weather cleared in Christchurch experience was again a factor as a depleted lineup was burned while New Zealand motored to a nine-wicket victory after being set a meagre 109 to complete a series clean sweep yesterday. The Black Caps requested an extra half hour to knock off the runs – rather than complete formalities on day five – and Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme needed only 10 minutes as they crunched 41 and 33 respectively.
Jeet Raval (33) was the only casualty when he chopped on Kamrul Islam for the second time in the match, leaving de Grandhomme to power the Balck Caps home with a 14-ball cameo studded with a quartet of sixes.
After building a 65-run first innings lead on the basis of Henry Nicholls’ coming within two runs of a maiden test century, Tim Southee became the fifth Black Cap to take 200 wickets and Neil Wagner took out the frustrations associated with being run out in unusual circumstances to render Sunday’s washout irrelevant.
Although the pitch was undercover for a day as rain drenched the venue, there were no demons evident in the morning and as the sessions unfolded Bangladesh were their own worst enemies.
More sloppy fielding was exacerbated once they rarely displayed an inclination to bat time, it was as if they were in a rush to get to the airport at the tail end of an itinerary that also included a catalogue of ODI and T20 defeats.
New captain Tamim Iqbal, in his 46th test, set the tone for one last batting capitulation when he picked out Mitchell Santner in the deep after executing a stroke better suited to the 20-over format after making his second single figure contribution. Shakib al Hasan, a national hero after amassing a record 217 in Wellington, also sacrificed himself five balls after a lead-footed slash put down by Raval at wide second slip.
The star all-rounder confounded Bangladeshi fans with a suicidal five-ball duck when they needed another innings of substance in the capital, and caused more consternation when he cut Southee to de Grandhomme to give the 28-year-old one of the softest of his 200 dismissals.
Shakib contributed only eight from seven deliveries – Tamim’s Star batsmen David Warner and Usman Khawaja have been left out Australia’s one-day international series in New Zealand to prepare for the test tour of India.
Australia have picked a 14-man squad for the three-match series against the Black Caps, starting at Auckland’s Eden Park on January 30.
In-form batsman Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch return to the ODI set-up having missed selection for the current series against Pakistan.
Both have impressed in recent Twenty20 cricket, with Finch the second highest run scorer in the BBL for Melbourne Renegades and Marsh hitting a half century in Perth’s last match against Hobart.
Warner will rest in preparation
match aggregate was a mere 13 – so Bangladesh’s hopes then rested on Mahmudullah. He at least admonished himself after inside edging a Wagner delivery onto the woodwork after making 38.
Wagner also claimed Sabbir Rahman and Nurul Hasan for ducks in a double-wicket maiden broken up by the tea interval.
Debutant Nazmul Hossain at least valued his wicket and the 18-year-old was absolved from blame when dislodged by an unplayable delivery as Trent Boult for the first test against India in Pune starting on February 23.
Khawaja will depart for Australia’s training base in Dubai to brush up his batting technique in Asia on January 30 – about a week earlier than his test team-mates who are playing in New Zealand.
joined the wicket-takers with a searing yorker.
On a positive note for the tourists, Taskin Ahmed bounced back from being struck on the helmet by Boult to slug a career-best 33 from 30 balls which included a pair of sixes.
Southee, who took his sixth five-wicket bag on his 56-cap career on Friday, was the second quickest Kiwi to the double hundred, the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee still has that accolade after founding the club in his 44th test.