Day 4: New Zealand 1st Innings 328 all out (Conway 122, Young 52, Nicholls 75, Shoriful 3/69, Mehidy 3/86,) vs Bangladesh 1st Innings 458 all out (Joy 70*, Shanto 64, Mominul 88, Das 86, Mehidy 47, Boult 4/85, Wagner 3/101) New Zealand 2nd innings (Young 69, Taylor 33*, Ebadot 4/39). Report by Rahul Patil from the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui – NZ.

When the New Zealand squad for this test series was announced a week before the start of the 1st test, Blackcaps coach Gary Stead justified dropping spinner Ajaz Patel by saying that their selection was based on a ‘horses for courses’ theory. The horses were great but the course, that is, the Bay Oval pitch wasn’t a course that demanded four fast bowlers and no frontline spinner.

Overnight batters Mehidy and Yasir Ali resumed their partnership this morning and Mehidy like he did last evening continued to play his shots. He also added a bit of thrill to the morning session being given out LBW twice, reviewing both on-field decisions and getting them overturned, as on both occasions he had hit the ball.

If New Zealand had to have any chance of winning this test match they had to pick up the four remaining Bangladesh wickets early on day 4. With the third new ball (yes you read it right…. the third new ball) due in 4 overs’ time at the start of play they had something to look forward to. But even though the third new ball was taken as soon as it was available it made no difference to Bangladesh who carried on building their lead.

Since the start of the recent Mumbai test against India, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson had bowled 123 overs between them without picking up a single wicket. Southee finally stopped the bleeding by dismissing Mehidy for 47 caught by keeper Blundell. The Blackcaps celebrations were pretty low key though as they had now been out in the field for more than 170 overs. Jameison too grabbed his first wicket of the game when Yasir Ali tried to glance one down leg side but only managed to find Blundell’s gloves. Southee then dismissed left-hander Taskin Ahmed LBW with one that came in with the angle from around the wicket. Boult then rattled Shoriful’s stumps to end the Bangladesh innings on 458, a lead of 130 over New Zealand. For the Blackcaps Boult was the most successful bowler picking up 4 for 85 followed by Wagner with 3 for 101. The New Zealand openers Latham & Young made sure that the blackcaps reached lunch without any damage and reduced Bangladesh’s lead by 10 runs.

---

READ MORE:

• Bangladesh boss Blackcap's on day two

---

New Zealand made a brisk start after lunch with both Latham and Young regularly finding the boundary, particularly of the front foot. They reached 29 for no loss when Taskin got one to bounce a bit more of a length. Latham was unable to defend it with the full face of his bat and managed to edge it back onto his stumps. Taskin was jubilant and Latham dismissed for 14 had a second poor outing on a flat pitch.

That first wicket seemed to inject some life into the Bangladesh bowlers who then started bowling a tight line and length and dried up the runs. Just like the Blackcaps the Bangladesh bowlers too kept creating chances and were finally rewarded with the big wicket of 1st innings centurion Devon Conway. Ebadot from round the wicket got one to come back at Conway who got an inside edge onto his pad but the ball lobbed up to gully. A huge appeal followed but the umpire was unmoved. Bangladesh though were confident and reviewed the not out decision and yet again in this match the third umpire had to overrule the on field umpire’s decision. Conway departed for a scratchy 13 and Bangladesh once again had their tails up. Young and Taylor then survived a number of anxious moments before the tea break but New Zealand managed to reach Tea on day 4 at 68 for 2 still trailing Bangladesh’s first innings by 62 runs.

The post-tea lunch saw batting becoming a bit easier as the ball became a bit softer. Off-spinner Mehidy kept creating chances but wasn’t supported by his fielders. Taylor lived a charmed life being first dropped by keeper Das before tea and then by Shadman at deep mid-wicket. On both occasions, Mehidy was the unlucky bowler. Riding Taylor’s luck, the Young and Taylor partnership reached 50, and then in the last hour of the day’s play, the Kiwis erased the deficit of 130 and started to build a lead.

It looked like the Blackcaps would reach stumps about 50 runs ahead of the Kiwis but Mominul summoned Bangladesh air force employee Ebadot Hossain for another spell. Bangladesh needed someone to pick up quick wickets and boy did Ebadot step up. With a ball that was over 50 overs old he found reverse swing and bowled it at over 140kmph to run through the defences of Will Young, Henry Nicholls, and Tom Blundell in quick succession. New Zealand who were 136 for 2 at one stage crumbled to 136 for 5 with Taylor watching the collapse from the other end. Ebadot finished the day with career-best figures of 4 for 39 of 17 testing overs.

Taylor New Zealand’s most experienced batter then along with the new kid on the block Rachin Ravindra saw the Blackcaps through to stumps without any further hiccups. They finished the day on 147/5 which is effectively 17/5. The rest of the Blackcaps batters will have to bat out of their skins tomorrow to save the test match as only two results look possible now, that is, a gripping draw or a historic Bangladesh win. Who says test cricket is boring?