New Zealand put in an excellent performance in the second Test of their series against Bangladesh to end the two-match series on level terms. Both sides faced off at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. New Zealand came into the clash after losing the first Test in Sylhet but they put in an exceptional showing in Mirpur to avoid a cleansweep.
After the clash, skipper Tim Southee was quite content with his side’s performance. While he lauded his men and their performance, he was critical of the pitch used for the second Test, branding it the “worst wicket” he has come across in his career. Notably, 30 of the 36 wickets that fell in the match went to spinners and the match lasted only 178.1 overs. Southee also opined that the conditions were very foreign to what the Black Caps are used to and stated that there was no equal battle between the bat and the ball.
“There are a number of ways I could describe that wicket. I think for the match to be all over in 170 overs is a fair reflection on the wicket. It wasn’t great. I think there wasn’t an even battle between bat and ball. Probably the worst wicket I’ve come across in my career,” Southee said in the post-match press conference.
“I think when you come to this part of the world, especially for us, the conditions are so foreign, particularly this Test match, very foreign to what we’re used to, and I guess to lose the toss as well, and then to come out on top on a wicket like that was very pleasing. Like I say, a number of different guys have stepped up in different ways, and it’s nice to bounce back after the first test,” he added.
Should have scored 230-240 runs in the first innings: Najmul Hossain Shanto
However, Najmul Hossain Shanto batted for such wickets but suggested that Bangladesh wleft out runs in the middle, adding that the pitch looked bad because of their batting failure.
“When we play Tests, we are not here to improve. This is not a place for practice. We are trying to win the Test. It is important that we prepare to win the Test, but we should definitely take this type of advantage. We can prepare in first-class cricket by trying out good wickets. We should prepare wickets like these and wickets like away conditions in NCL [National Cricket League] or BCL [Bangladesh Cricket League],” Shanto said.
“It wasn’t a very helpful wicket for bowlers in Sylhet. Bowlers had to work hard for their wickets. There was a bit of help for both bowlers and batters. We didn’t bat well in Dhaka. We should have scored 230-240 runs in the first innings. The wicket seemed bad because we got 172. New ball was a challenge, but that’s also true anywhere around the world. It wasn’t anything different here, but we could have avoided this situation if we batted better in the first innings,” he added.
It is worth noting that after the two-match Test series, New Zealand and Bangladesh will be taking on each other in a three-match ODI series, followed up by a three-match T20I series. The first ODI will be held at the University Oval in Dunedin, New Zealand, on Sunday, December 17.