BAN vs NZ, 1st Test: Bangladesh registers first home win against New Zealand

Chasing a target 332, New Zealand got bundled out for 181 with Taijul Islam picking up six wickets in the second innings.

Published : Dec 02, 2023 10:49 IST , CHENNAI - 2 MINS READ

Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz celebrate the dismissal of New Zealand’s Tom Blundell.
Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz celebrate the dismissal of New Zealand’s Tom Blundell. | Photo Credit: AP
infoIcon

Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz celebrate the dismissal of New Zealand’s Tom Blundell. | Photo Credit: AP

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam claimed a match haul of 10 wickets to bowl Bangladesh to a comprehensive 150-run victory against New Zealand in the opening test in Sylhet on Saturday.

Chasing 332 for victory on a turning track, New Zealand headed into the final day on a precarious 113-7 against a spin-heavy Bangladesh attack on a dry and turning pitch.

Overnight batter Daryl Mitchell (58) completed his fifty and skipper Tim Southee (34) staged a brief rearguard but Bangladesh needed 90 minutes on the final day to wrap up victory and go 1-0 up in the two-test series.

It was a memorable first home win against New Zealand for a depleted Bangladesh side missing several frontline players through injuries, including regular captain Shakib Al Hasan, against a full-strength New Zealand side.

Taijul claimed 6-75 in the second innings and was the obvious choice for the player-of-the-match award.

“We were not thinking about the result, we just followed our process,” stand-in Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said after their first test win on home soil against New Zealand.

“The job is half done, we still have a long way to go.”

FOLLOW | WPL 2024 Auction: Full list of 165 players available

Batting fourth on a turning track in the sub-continent counts among the game’s greatest challenges and New Zealand’s frontline batters failed the trial by spin on Friday.

Only Mitchell had looked assured facing the spinners with a shoal of fielders around his bat and once his slog-sweep against Nayeem Hasan found Taijul at backward square, the game was all but over for New Zealand.

Southee was not prepared to go down with a fight though as he smashed a couple of sixes, while Ish Sodhi (22) also resisted for a while before Taijul removed both.

“Very disappointed, but credit to Bangladesh, they play really well as a side in these conditions,” Southee said afterwards.

“Our bowling group needs to create pressure for longer, batters need to stitch more partnerships, be better for longer.”

The final test begins in Mirpur on Wednesday.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment