NZ buries Bangladesh in three days
Once the weather cleared in Christchurch experience was again a factor as a depleted Bangladesh line-up was burned by New Zealand who motored to a nine-wicket victory after being set a meagre 109 to complete a series clean sweep at Hagley Oval 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 only needed 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 Black 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, man-ofthe match 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 pelted 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 Christchurch 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 was fortunate to be 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 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 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 careerbest 33 from 30 balls which included a pair of sixes.
Taskin added 51 in eight overs with the equally aggressive Kamrul (25no), the highest stand of the innings, before Boult locked on another yorker to snap that stand.
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 Hadlee still has that accolade after founding the club in his 44th test.
While Southee had plenty to celebrate, it was a bittersweet day for Nicholls after succumbed in the ‘‘nervous nineties’’ when he edged a floated delivery from offspinner Mehedi Hasan onto his stumps.
The 25-year-old left-hander, who carried his score from 56 to 98, at least had the satisfaction of scoring fifties in consecutive tests to solidify his place at No.5 having already been dropped from the ODI squad this summer.
His 149-ball innings, studded with a dozen boundaries, also eclipsed his previous highest score – a gritty 76 in a losing cause at Centurion against South Africa last August.
Wagner also added a valuable 26 – and 57 for the ninth wicket – before he was last out after third umpire Marais Eramus noticed he grounded his bat but both feet and the bat were in the air over the popping crease when Nurul flicked the ball onto the stumps.
Southee (3-48), Boult (3-52) and Wagner’s 3-44 represented a solid collective effort from the frontline seamers despite the forlorn punishment meted out by Taskin and Kamrul.
Southee was named man of the match after his five wicket haul in the first innings which meant he finished with eight for the game.