Tim Southee takes 200th wicket for New Zealand
The Black Caps, spearheaded by Tim Southee becoming the fifth New Zealander and second fastest to 200 test wickets, are in control of the second test against Bangladesh on the fourth day.
Southee had Shakib Al Hasan guide a ball to Colin de Grandhomme at deep gully to complete the feat in his 56th test, behind Sir Richard Hadlee (44) but in front of Chris Cairns (58), Chris Martin (62) and Daniel Vettori (63).
The dismissal reduced Bangladesh to 73 for three in the 23rd over, placing their resistance in jeopardy midway through the session. Southee had figures of two for 30 from 11 overs. He had Tamim Iqbal pulling to Mitchell Santner at deep mid-wicket before lunch. The other Bangladeshi wicket came courtesy of a gully catch by Jeet Raval off Colin de Grandhomme.
Earlier, New Zealand finished on 354, a lead of 65, with fine weather forecast for the remainder of the match.
The hosts` innings ended in bizarre circumstances when Neil Wagner was run out for 26. He turned for two, completed the second run and got his bat behind the line when wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan backhanded a ball to dislodge the bails. However, Wagner was mid-air when the bails came off. He was dismissed, via the third umpire and as per Law 29, because neither foot had yet been grounded behind the popping crease.
Wagner formed a crucial 57-run ninth-wicket partnership with Henry Nicholls after the third day was rained out. Nicholls fell two short of his maiden test century after dragging an inside edge onto the stumps trying to drive off spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz. He snicked through a gap in the slip cordon to reach 90, a French cut took him to 97 and a miscued hook off a glove landed innocuously as he moved to 98 in front of his home crowd.
Nicholls faced pressure and responsibility moving to his highest test score in his 17th innings. His average rose from 26.57 to 31.33, the first time it has breached 30 since his debut against Australia last summer. He rode his luck grafting away early, and avoided getting freakishly caught by Nazmul Hossain Shanto at silly point on two. Resuming on 56 today, he answered questions about his role at No.5. The innings should cement his position for the South African series.
Bangladesh`s fielding again let them down. Second slip Mehedi dropped Southee off Kamrul Islam Rabbi on 15; he made 17. Gully Nazmul Hossain Shanto dropped Wagner off Taskin on seven. The bowler suffered the indignity of getting Wagner adjudged lbw with his next ball, only for the No.10 to review successfully. The ball had pitched outside leg stump. Taskin, with pace in the 140km/h bracket, was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers across the morning, despite relatively lean figures of one for 86 from 22 overs.
The start of play was delayed by 30 minutes courtesy of a leak in the pitch covering. It required an area just outside a left-hander`s off stump at the Port Hills end to receive urgent "Sir Alex Ferguson" treatment with two industrial hair dryers.
Source: New Zealand Herald
