Dhaka – The Kiwi batsmen continued to dominate Bangladesh in the first Test of three-match series in Hamilton. Jeet Raval and Tom Latham hit the centuries for the hosts as the Bangladeshi bowlers failed threat them in any way. At the end of the second day, New Zealand secured the lead of 217 runs with six wickets in hand.
Bangladesh have posted 234 runs in the first innings of the match. Tamim Iqbal, the southpaw, was the best batsman for the Tigers hitting 126 while opening the innings. But the other batsmen were clueless to bat on against the quality pace attack of the hosts.
In reply, Raval and Latham past Bangladesh’s first innings’ total in the opening stand- 254. Raval was the first batsman to get dismissed for the New Zealanders. When the regular bowlers were disappointed to break the first wicket stand of the hosts, Mahmudullah took the ball and brought up the must-needed breakthrough for the Tigers.
Raval and Latham were unbeaten for 86 at the end of the first day’s play. The started the second morning in the same manner and continued to dominate over the Bangladeshi bowlers.
Raval fell for 132. He went to slog Mahmudullah who delivered a slow ball. Raval managed an upper edge which was taken safely at the midwicket area by Khaled Ahmed. The breakthrough was not enough to rattle the batting line of the Kiwi.
In the second wicket stand, Latham and the captain Kane Williamson added 79 runs on the board. Soumya Sarkar, another part-timer bowler like Mahmudullah, bagged the second wicket scalping Latham for 161.
Soumya had missed a catch to dismiss Latham at slip when he was at zero at the start of the innings of New Zealand. Soumya scalped another wicket when Ross Taylor failed to judge the pace of the delivery which has struck his pad, and the umpire did not think twice to up the finger signalling his dismissal. Taylor was the only dismissed batsman who failed to score at least a fifty.
Bangladesh’s last success on the second was the wicket of Henry Nicholls. MehidyHasanMiraz, who bowled the most overs by a Bangladeshi bowler in the match so far, took the wicket of Nicholls.
The left-hander left the ball alone and got bowled. His dismissal was the prize of nice bowling effort of Mehidy. He delivered wide on the crease. Nicholls misjudged the turn and lost his stumps.
New Zealand finished the second day scoring 451 for four wickets. Williamson remained unbeaten accumulating 93 runs. And the lead of the hosts reached 217 runs.
Soumya took two wickets for the Tigers while Mahmudullah and Mehidy bagged one wicket each.UNB
