Wickets tumble, Black Caps teeter
These three-day cricket tests aren’t short of action.
After two days of rain and interminable waiting, 12 wickets tumbled in 72.4 overs as the second test sprang into life at Wellington’s Basin Reserve yesterday.
It wasn’t one-way traffic either as New Zealand, having won what looked a vital coin toss, lost both openers in the evening gloom to reach 38-2 when stumps were pulled early, in reply to Bangladesh’s 211.
Captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, who counterattacked his way to 19 not out off 13 balls with some textbook cover drives, resume on day four at 10.30am with plenty of work to regain control at 1-0 up in the three-test series.
With 196 overs remaining in the test and warmer, clearer weather forecast, it’s game on after the Black Caps’ dominant innings and 52 run victory in Hamilton.
These juicy greentops can be great levellers as we saw in 2011 when the Black Caps upset Australia in Hobart.
One of the grassiest test strips seen at the Basin offered more to Bangladesh’s lively new ball duo late in the day than it did for New Zealand; the docile Seddon Park surface a distant memory.
Abu Jayed nicked off Tom Latham – who arrived with a test average of 203.67 this home season – for four then Jeet Raval spooned the same man to cover as the seam and bounce caused plenty of hopping about.
Bangladesh’s batsmen had to duck and dive, too, clattered on helmets and gloved fingers, as Neil Wagner relished the springy bounce to snare 4-28 in one hostile 13-over spell.