Southee high five leads the way
NZ gain advantage despite ordinary fielding and grit shown by the touring team
New Zealand claimed the advantage on the opening day of the second test at Christchurch, despite a series of fielding calamities and a shot of Bangladeshi batting grit.
Tim Southee’s lbw of Kamrul Islam brought the day to a close, dismissing Bangladesh for 289. It was the rightarmer’s sixth five- wicket bag, leaving him two victims short of becoming the fifth New Zealand bowler to reach 200 test wickets.
However, three dropped slip catches — one from Jeet Raval, one from Ross Taylor and one from Southee — dulled the lustre on the hosts’ performance.
Southee ( five for 94 from 28.3 overs) and Trent Boult ( four for 87 from 24 overs) pitched up for the most part to reap dividends from swing and seam on the fresh pitch.
The rain and wind of the previous evening passed to leave the ground in immaculate condition.
New Zealand won the toss and sent Bangladesh in.
It was the 22nd consecutive test in which the captain who won the toss inserted the opposition.
The weather chilled late in the day as the ratio of New Zealand pullovers to shirts went from 5: 6 to 10: 1. BJ Watling was the exception. The visiting batsmen kept their composure for the most part, courtesy of two key partnerships.
Makeshift opener Soumya Sarkar and 46- test veteran Shakib Al Hasan staved off the hosts’ early impetus to post 127 runs for the third wicket after combining at 38 for two in the 11th over. For a cricketer who had batted at No 6 or No 7 in his five previous test innings, Soumya deserved to take a bow. A highlight in his 86 was the onetwo punch of a pull in front of square and an on drive from Colin de Grandhomme’s fifth over.
The second boundary brought up his maiden test half- century in 54 balls and his side’s 100.
He finally lobbed to cover which had de Grandhomme claiming a catch millimetres from the turf.
Southee’s dismissal of Shakib for 59, courtesy of an edge to Watling down the legside, saw the Black Caps duo become New Zealand’s most prolific wicketkeeper- bowler dismissal combination.
The 44th instance of “c Watling b Southee” overtook “c Smith b Hadlee”.
Watling has taken additional two catches off Southee as a fielder.
Southee and Boult eventually scythed through the middle order, dismissing three batsmen for 14 runs within 16 balls to have Bangladesh teetering at 179 for five.
A 53- run sixth- wicket stand between the debutants — 18- year- old Nazmul Hossain and 23- year- old Nurul Hasan — guided them to respectability when Nazmul fended Southee to Raval at short backward point for 18.
Nurul eventually posted 47, reflecting his average of 133 from the last seven first- class innings.
The overall Bangladesh effort was commendable, given their XI contained just four players who had played more than three tests.
It sustained their general competitiveness across all formats of the series.
Boult and Southee delivered impressive opening spells of eight and six overs respectively, taking a wicket each.
Captain Tamim Iqbal couldn’t get his gloves out of the way from a rising ball in Southee’s second over.
Mahmudullah survived a poor New Zealand review in Boult’s fifth over. The ball brushed the batsman’s shoulder but the slip cordon and bowler were adamant his bat or glove were accomplices. Umpire Paul Reiffel disagreed and was proven right. Boult soon had Mahmudullah caught behind for 19.
The 44th instance of “c Watling b Southee” overtook “c Smith b Hadlee”.