Bouncers a legitimate weapon, feel teams
It’s a tactic to get players out, Williamson says
New Zealand and Bangladesh yesterday defended the short ball as a legitimate weapon following the bouncer-laden first Test which saw Mushfiqur Rahim rushed to hospital after being hit on the head.
Kane Williamson led New Zealand in a stunning fightback to win the Test on Monday after Bangladesh were reduced to nine wickets in their second innings with Mushfiqur injured.
Williamson, who scored his 15th century as New Zealand mowed down a 217-run target late on the final day, said the injury was sad to see but the bouncer was a legitimate weapon.
After Bangladesh posted an imposing 595 for eight in their first innings and New Zealand fell 56 runs short in reply, the game turned when the hosts employed the short ball to end the Bangladesh second innings at 160-9.
Mushfiqur retired hurt on 13 and was taken to hospital in an ambulance after he was felled by a short-pitched delivery from Tim Southee.
It was one of several bouncers which had the Bangladesh captain frequently ducking and weaving during his 80 minutes at the crease.
Mushfiqur was given the allclear following X-rays but took no further part in the match and while Williamson said that was unfortunate for Bangladesh, he defended the continued use of the short ball.
“It’s a tactic to get players out,” he said.
“It is very unfortunate when you do see someone get hit. It’s obviously a delicate place and both teams were very concerned when it happened.
“It was sad to see. It’s never nice to see someone in an ambulance on the cricket field but nice to see he’s OK now.”
Williamson said that after a tough first innings, the way the New Zealand bowlers came back in the second and “put the ball in the right area was a great effort which set the game up for us.”
Bangladesh also made ample use of the bouncer with Neil Wagner hit three times in his first innings with one ball slamming the helmet grille into his face and leaving him with a cut chin.
Tamim Iqbal, who took over the leadership of the Bangladesh side, had no complaints about the tactic and likened a threatening short delivery in New Zealand to facing spin in the subcontinent. “That’s part of the game. You can’t complain about it,” he said.
“That was their strategy maybe. I have no complaints. I am sure Mushy (Mushfiqur) doesn’t have complaints too.” ane Williamson scored his 15th century as New Zealand staged a remarkable fightback to win the first Test against Bangladesh by seven wickets in the final session in Wellington yesterday.
He described it has “a second-innings match” where Bangladesh’s first innings 595 and New Zealand’s 539 in reply were in effect removed from the equation when the pressure went on.
On a dramatic final day, the Bangladesh second innings ended on 160-9 with captain and prolific scorer Mushfiqur Rahim rushed to hospital after being felled by a bouncer.
He was later given the all-clear by doctors but took no further part in the game as Williamson and Ross Taylor launched a batting onslaught reach their 217run target with time to spare in the final session.
Williamson, who ended on 104 not out off 90 balls, said he knew New Zealand had a chance when they managed to get their first innings within 56 runs of Bangladesh.
“From then on it became a second innings match ... when you go into the last innings of a Test anything can happen,” he said, admitting to some tense moments when New Zealand were 39 for two with Tom Latham departing for 16 and Jeet Raval for 13.
“Coming into last two sessions and either team could win it. That’s what Test cricket is about. When you’re two for 30, 200 can be quite a long way away in the last innings.”
Unfortunate injury
Williamson defended the use of the bouncer as a legitimate weapon to pressure Bangladesh in their second innings but admitted Mushfiqur’s injury did not help the tourists.
“That certainly didn’t help Bangladesh’s cause. It was a great (159) first innings and it was very unfortunate he was out with the injury.”
There were no complaints
from Bangladesh about the outcome however, with Tamim Iqbal, who took over the captaincy, saying they only had themselves to blame.
“In the second innings we could have batted well. (We were) unlucky in the sense regarding injury, yes, but we could have batted well,” he said with the 595 never considered a matchwinning (Shakib), 5-96 (Mominul), 6-137 (Taskin), 7-148 (Kamrul), 8-152 (Sabbir), 9-160 (Subashis)
Boult 13.5-3-53-3, Southee 13-5-34-1, Santner 16-5-36-2, Wagner 15-3-37-2 (1nb)
Bowling: New Zealand 2nd innings
T. Latham b Mehedi J. Raval c & b Mehedi K. Williamson not out R. Taylor c Mehedi b Roy H. Nicholls not out
(b14, lb6) (3 wkts, 39.4 overs)
1-32 (Raval), 2-39 (Latham), 3-202 (Taylor)
Kamrul 7-0-31-0, Mehedi 11.4-066-2, Shakib 10-0-30-0, Taskin 6-0-38-0, Subashis 5-0-32-1
Extras: Total: Fall of wickets:
Bowling:
16 13 104 60 4 20 217 innings. We always believed this Test match is not over yet and there will be one session or period of 20-25 overs for both the teams where whoever does well in that small session might win the Test match.
“That’s what New Zealand did better than us and that’s why they are in winning position today.”
Williamson and Ross Taylor (60) batted raced along at more than six runs an over in their 163-run third wicket partnership to seal victory.
Williamson brought up his century — levelling the scores with a sweep off Mehedi Hasan to the boundary — before ending the game with a single off the next ball.
Bangladesh had been in command for nearly four days, until their second innings lasted fewer than 58 overs to end at 160 for nine.
First innings hero Shakib Al Hasan, whose 217 is a record high score for a Bangladesh batsman, lasted only five balls before going for nought.
It was a disappointing sequel to their imposing first innings of 595 for eight declared, presenting them with the unwanted record of the highest score in the first innings to lose a Test.
The previous mark was set more than 120 years ago, when Australia scored 586 against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1894.