Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal plays a shot during the third day of the first Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Saturday. –BCB photo
Tamim Iqbal missed out on his second hundred in the game as New Zealand left Bangladesh facing an innings defeat in the first Test in Hamilton on Saturday.
The home side rode on Kane Williamson’s unbeaten 200 to declare their first innings on record 715-6 before reducing Bangladesh to 174-4 at stumps on the third day.
Bangladesh, who were bowled out 234 runs in the first innings before conceding a huge 481-run deficit, were still trailing New Zealand by 307 runs with only four wickets in hand.
Soumya Sarkar remained unbeaten on 39 alongside stand-in skipper Mahmudullah, 15 not out, at stumps.
Tamim, the only shining light in Bangladesh’s first innings with 126 off 128 balls, led batting charge once again putting 88-run with Shadman Islam in the opening stand.
Tamim looked heading towards becoming the first Bangladeshi to score twin hundred in Tests before his unfortunate dismissal on 74 runs.
Tamim ducked to avoid a bouncer of Tim Southee but could not take his bat away as the ball left him off-balance.
The ball touched the bottom corner of his bat before it flew to wicketkeeper BJ Watling, ending his 86-ball effort, featuring 12 fours and a six.
Bangladesh earlier suffered s mini collapse losing three wickets in the space of four overs after Neil Wagner broke the opening stand.
Wagner, New Zealand’s bowling hero in the first innings, tempted Shadman with repeated short balls before finally forcing him to give a catch to Trent Boult at deep fine leg for 37 runs.
One-down Mominul Haque edged Boult to Ross Taylor at first slip after making just eight while Mohammad Mithun flashed the same bowler to Williamson at gully without opening his account.
Mahmudullah survived a review to see off the day with Soumya, who looked to be confident in his 51-ball 39 inclusive of five fours and a six.
New Zealand declared their innings immediately after Williamson completed his second double century of career pulling Abu Jayed for a boundary.
Williamson passed 6,000 career Test runs in the course of the New Zealand innings, which also featured centuries by Tom Latham and Jeet Raval.
New Zealand’s previous highest innings of 690 was against Pakistan in 2014, when Williamson contributed 192.
The world innings record is held by Sri Lanka, who scored 952 for six declared against India in 1997.
SCORECARD
Bangladesh v New Zealand
First Test
Stumps, Day 3
Bangladesh 1st innings 234 (Tamim Iqbal 126; Wagner 5-47, Southee 3-76)
New Zealand (overnight) 451-4
J. Raval c Khaled b M’Ullah 132
T. Latham c Mithun b Soumya161
K. Williamson not out 200
R. Taylor b Soumya 4
H. Nicholls b Mehedi 53
N. Wagner c Das b Ebadat 47
B. Watling c Das b Mehedi 31
C. de Grandhomme not out 76
Extras: (Lb 7, Wd 2, Nb 2)11
Total (for six wickets; 163 overs)715
Fall of wickets: 1-254 (Raval), 2-333 (Latham), 3-349 (Taylor), 4-449 (Nicholls), 5-509 (Wagner), 6-605 (Watling)
Bowling
Jayed 30 5 103 0
Ebadat 27 4 107 1
Khaled 30 6 149 0
Soumya 21 1 68 2
Mehedi 49 2 246 2
Mahmudullah 1 0 3 1
Mominul 5 0 32 0
Bangladesh 2nd innings
Tamim Iqbal c Watling b Southee 74
Shadman Islam c Boult b Wagner 37
Mominul Haque c Taylor b Boult 8
M. Mithun c Williamson b Boult 0
Soumya Sarkar not out 39
Mahmudullah not out 15
Extras: (wd 1) 1
Total: (four wickets; 43 overs) 174
Fall of wickets: 1-88 (Islam), 2-100 (Mominul), 3-110 (Shadman), 4-126 (Tamim)
Bowling
Boult 11 1 53 2
Southee 13 2 54 1
Grandhomme 5 1 15 0
Wagner 12 2 48 1
Astle 2 1 4 0
Toss: New Zealand
Source: New Age.
