New Zealand are working towards another cricketing clean sweep over Bangladesh by defying a depleted though resolute opponent and inexcusable fielding lapses to control the second and final Test in Christchurch yesterday, reports Stuff from Christchurch.
After limiting a Bangladesh line-up missing three experienced players to 289 after Kane Williamson opted to bowl first at Hagley Oval on Friday, New Zealand start their reply on Saturday after Tim Southee completed his five-wicket bag with the final delivery of the day.
Once Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah were gone inside an hour, the Black Caps might have anticipated running through the tourists as they did in the second innings at the Basin Reserve.
But Bangladesh never threatened to replicate the record 595-8 they posted after being asked to bat in Wellington, though considering seven on their line-up had played three Tests or less before play began it was a creditable performance.
A batting order bereft of inspirational skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, opener Imrul Kayes and first drop Mominul Haque were combative, while the Black Caps were also guilty of undermining their own bowlers' figures by dropping three catches in the slips cordon. "I think we were a little bit off still, but it was an improvement from Wellington,” Southee said of the a four-pronged pace attacks' endeavours.
“I think if you can bowl a side out on day one then I guess it's a pretty good effort. They came out with a positive intent and looked to put any balls that we missed away to the fence, and they especially did that in that period before lunch.
“We managed to crawl the run rate back a bit there towards the end, so yeah I think it's a good day.”
Fortunately Bangladesh were unable to capitalise on those butter fingers and a bowling effort that rarely threatened before the pitch flattened out.
A belligerent 127-run stand for the third wicket at better than four runs per over between Soumya Sarkar and Shakib al Hasan enabled Bangladesh to rebuild after they were in jeopardy at 38-2.
Bangladesh batsman Shakib al Hasan did not back down from the short-pitched bowling from the Black Caps on the first morning of the second Test.
Soumya, who had not played a Test since 2015, was enlisted to replace Imrul and open for the first time in his fourth cap and he rose to the challenge by producing a counterattacking 11-boundary 86 from 104 deliveries.
The left hander was finally undone when he prodded a drive to Colin de Grandhomme while Shakib (59) followed Tamim's example and was caught behind to a loose leg side flick as Southee and BJ Watling replaced Sir Richard Hadlee and Ian Smith as New Zealand's most prolific bowler/keeper combination with 44 dismissals.
Their departure in quick succession as Bangladesh lost 3-14 in the middle session prefaced a 53-run stand for the sixth wicket between debutants Nazmul Hossain and Nurul Hasan, the last productive stand of the innings.
New wicketkeeper Nurul had a charmed innings, starting on four when Southee botched a hip-height grab at third slip, he then edged past Raval and Taylor on 21 and 15 runs later Taylor dropped a sitter off Neil Wagner.
He finally exited three runs short of fifty - and five minutes short of three hours at the crease - when he half-hooked Trent Boult and feathered an edge to Watling to end his 98-ball vigil.
Wagner started the final session with a lifter but got his only wicket when Mehedi Hasan shouldered arms and lost his off stump.
Ironically it was Boult, who said pre-match he probably underused the bouncer, who was damaging with a short ball when a 140kph delivery rapped tailender Rubel Hossain on the glove before thudding into the helmet grill.
Boult (4-87 from 24 overs) then winged Rubel on the elbow of his bowling arm, prompting a delay before he battled on.
Southee thought he had his sixth five-wicket bag in tests when Kamrul Islam was caught by Tom Latham at short leg but replays indicated the ball ballooned off an arm guard - he had to wait for a lbw decision against the same player to record 5-94 from 28.3.