Kane-less Black Caps on top
Black Caps captain Kane Williamson appears to have avoided a long-term injury as his absence from the Basin Reserve caused almost as much interest as a sparkling Ross Taylor double century yesterday.
New Zealand continued their dominance over Bangladesh, and some late strikes from Trent Boult and company left them poised for victory in the second cricket test with one day (98 overs) to play.
With Tim Southee taking the reins from Williamson, New Zealand’s pacemen reduced the tourists to 80-3 at stumps, a deficit of 141 with a mainly fine Tuesday forecast in Wellington.
A series victory with one test to spare, and confirmation of their world No 2 test ranking at season’s end, beckons with seven more Bangladesh wickets and possibly a small run chase.
Williamson, New Zealand’s best and most influential player, batted a painful 162 minutes for his 74 then wasn’t seen again as he departed for an ultrasound on his left shoulder at a radiology clinic.
There was nothing definitive on Williamson who will undergo an MRI scan today but early indications were just 1-2 weeks on the sidelines, welcome news for New Zealand fans with less than three months until the Cricket World Cup.
A pectoral muscle strain is suspected, which will likely rule him out of the third test starting in Christchurch on Saturday and hand Will Young a long-awaited test debut.
Williamson suffered the injury when diving in the field on Sunday and took regular pain relief as he helped Taylor add 172 for the third wicket. He looked sore throughout, notably when he pulled one to the fence to raise 50 and grasped at his shoulder.
Taylor, meanwhile, was near unstoppable as he joined Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum as three-time New Zealand test double-centurions.
His 18th test century, brought up by clouting Taijul Islam’s spin for six, saw him overtake his late friend and mentor Martin Crowe’s mark of 17, and pass Crowe’s Basin Reserve record of 1123 runs.
A modest bat raise and brief glance to the sky was the extent of Taylor’s celebration, now two behind Williamson’s New Zealand record of 20.
Arriving at 8-2 and the ball seaming and swinging on a gloomy Sunday evening, Taylor began positively with an imperious cover drive and plundered 200 off 212 balls. He rattled the pickets with 19 fours and four test sixes before a wild swipe when chasing quick runs.
After his stand with Williamson he added another 216 with Henry Nicholls, who cruised to his fifth test century, another polished and assured display for 107 off 129.
It all added up to 432-6 declared at better than five an over, which left the bowlers the luxury of 23 overs at the Bangladesh top order.
Taylor rode his luck early, and some more awful catching haunted the tourists just when the test looked nicely poised.
Remarkably he was dropped twice in three balls on 20, off the bowling of Abu Jayed who was a regular menace with the new ball.
Captain Mahmudullah was the main culprit, shelling a very catchable chance at cover before Shadman Islam got both hands to a low one at second slip.
It cost them 180 runs after Soumya Sarkar’s drop of Tom Latham on nought in Hamilton cost them 161, before an innings and 52 run defeat.
Taylor gave them another halfchance on 50 when he cut Jayed through the outstretched gloves of Liton Das, and it was one-way traffic from there.
What turned out to be an excellent test pitch after two days under cover inevitably flattened out, and the visiting bowlers waned under pressure.