Taijul Islam yesterday grabbed his second 10-wicket haul in Test cricket as Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by 150 runs in Sylhet, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Resuming on the fifth and final day at 113-7 with another 219 runs needed for victory, New Zealand added 68 runs for their last three wickets, ending their second innings all out for 181 runs.
Taijul claimed the last two wickets to finish with 6-75, adding to his 4-109 in the first innings.
Photo: AP
Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan gave Bangladesh their first breakthrough on the day, after New Zealand’s overnight batting pair of Daryl Mitchell and Ish Sodhi survived nine overs.
Mitchell top-edged Nayeem to Taijul at long-leg after making 58.
Tim Southee and Sodhi entertained the sparse crowd with some counterpunches, putting on 46 runs for the ninth wicket in quick time, the highest partnership for New Zealand in the innings.
However, their runs came too late to have an impact on the outcome, as Taijul claimed the wickets of both in the space of four overs.
Southee was caught by Zakir Hasan at midwicket after making 34 off 24 balls, including a four and two sixes.
Taijul brought the curtain down on an entertaining contest soon afterward, when Sodhi gloved a catch to Zakir at silly point.
It earned Bangladesh their second Test victory against New Zealand, with the first coming at Mount Maunganui in January last year.
“Credit goes to all the players, especially Taijul, Nayeem, Shoriful [Islam], and Mehidy [Hasan],” said Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who became the fourth Bangladesh captain to win his first match in charge.
“Everyone enjoyed this match. We weren’t thinking about the result,” Najmul, who scored a century in the second innings, said in the post-match presentation.
“We have so many test matches coming up. This win will give us a confidence to do well,” he added.
New Zealand captain Tim Southee praised the hosts and called for more from his team.
“They played well. Our bowling group needs to create pressure for longer, batters need to stitch more partnerships, be better for longer,” he said.
He refused to blame fatigue from a gruelling one-day international Cricket World Cup campaign in India for his side’s defeat.
“We had a little bit of a break after the World Cup, but I think as players, you know that it’s a busy schedule,” Southee said. “You know what’s in front of you... The guys were in good spirits before this. It’s been a long time on the road for some, but that’s part and parcel of being an international cricketer.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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