Abysmal batting costs Tigers Test series against Kiwis
Riyad rues for dropping crucial catches
BSS, Dhaka
A dismal batting dashed Bangladeshs hope to save the Wellington Test, as they failed to wage any battle in their bid to see off the fifth and final day.
The New Zealand bowlers were relentless but Bangladesh batsmen also didnt cause their help by playing some wretched shots that led to their crushing innings and 12 runs defeat to New Zealand at Basin Reserve in Wellington on Tuesday.
By virtue of winning the match, the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series.
We could have done better than what we did in the match, said Bangladesh stand-in captain Mahmudullah Riyad. We dropped some crucial catches that cost us dearly. Its very disappointing to loss the Test inside three days.
Despite the first two days were washed out Bangladesh could not save the match as they fell apart in the face of Neil Wagners short-ball barrage. Wagner followed his 4-28 with 5-45 in the second innings to be the decisive factor of the match.
Fast bowler Trent Boult complemented his effort with 4-52 and Bangladesh found them in short of idea to how to survive against those bowling. Eventually they were bowled out for 209.
Only captain Mahmudullah Riyad and Mohammad Mithun offered some resistance with 67 and 47 respectively. But they could not stave off Wagner whose stock short-ball delivery also tormented Bangladesh in first Test which New Zealand won by an innings and 52 runs.
When Bangladesh resumed day five at 80-3, Trent Boult made the initial breakthrough by dismissing Soumya Sarkar for 28.
Wagner then started his demolition with two wickets, tempting the batsmen into hook shots down the leg side.
Mithun was well caught by Tim Southee at leg gully while Liton Das had only a single to his name as he decided to take Wagner on and was caught by Boult at fine leg.
Taijul Islam (0) fended a short ball to Tom Latham at silly point without scoring.
Mahmudullah was dismissed in similar fashion to Mithun while Ebadat Hossain was bowled for a duck.
New Zealand, who took the field without injured skipper Kane Williamson, suffered a further injury blow on the final morning when wicketkeeper BJ Watling strained a hamstring during his warm-up and was replaced by the uncapped substitute Peter Bocock.
Williamson injured his left shoulder while fielding on day three and may be rested for the third and final Test, starting in Christchurch on Saturday.
Bangladesh was folded for 211 in their first innings, before New Zealand declared their only innings on 432-6, thanks to a third double century of Ross Taylor (200) and Henry Nichols 107.
When New Zealand batted aggressively to bring out a result in a rain-curtailed Wellington Test, Bangladesh helped them to score briskly by dropping some crucial catches, that eventually led to their innings and 12 runs defeat. While their ground fielding was not good enough, they twice dropped Ross Taylor, who later went on to score 200 to throw Bangladesh out of the match.
After first two days of the Test were washed out, Bangladesh were wrapped up for 211 in their first innings on day three but reduced New Zealand to 8-2, before Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson resisted.
On the third over of the fourth day, Bangladesh fluffed Ross Taylors catch twice when he was on 20 and those misses eventually cost them the Test. On both occasions the bowler was Abu Jayed forced an uppish drive off the first ball of the over only for Mahmudullah at cover to put down a sitter. To make matters worse, just two ball later, Shadman Islam dropped a chance in the slip cordon.
Taylor eventually made them pay by scoring a double hundred.
I dropped a catch and there was another drop in the slips. Had we held on those, the bowlers might have gotten their confidence back. These are the mistakes we need to sort out, Mahmudullah said after the second Test in Wellington.
Even though missing catch is the part of game, we have to be careful because we cant allow these sort of misses to continue, he said.
