Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam picked up a six-wicket haul to rip through New Zealand’s batting lineup as Bangladesh registered their first-ever Test win over the Blackcaps at home in the series-opening Test on Saturday. Najmul Hossain Shanto starts his captaincy stint in fine fashion, leading by example as well. Taijul Islam loves bowling at this ground and it was him once again who proved to be lethal with eleven wickets in the match and took down the Kiwis.
New Zealand had a daunting task coming into bat on Day 5 with only three wickets in hand and well behind the target against a spin-heavy Bangladesh attack on a dry and shifting surface. Overnight batsman Daryl Mitchell (58) completed his fifty, and skipper Tim Southee (34) produced a brief resurgence, but Bangladesh required 90 minutes on the last day to win and take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
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Southee joined Sodhi and started counter-attacking with some big shots as they added 46 runs together, which was also the highest partnership in this innings, which says it all. Southee was dismissed for 34 and then Ajaz Patel and Sodhi were able to delay the inevitable for a bit, but Taijul Islam finished the job for the hosts, ending up with a six-wicket haul and helping his side to a famous win.
It was a memorable victory for a reduced Bangladesh team, which was without numerous top players due to injuries, including usual captain Shakib Al Hasan, against a full-strength New Zealand team. Taijul took 6-75 in the second innings and was an easy choice for player-of-the-match.
Bangladesh showcased an exemplary batting performance on Day 4, led by their skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who marked his captaincy debut with a splendid century. The experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and the resilient Mehidy Hasan contributed with valuable half-centuries, propelling Bangladesh to a second-innings total of 338.
In response, the Bangladesh spinners, supported by the lone fast bowler, Shoriful Islam, exerted immense pressure on the Kiwi batters, claiming 7 wickets. Taijul Islam, in particular, was the architect of New Zealand’s downfall, securing 4 crucial wickets, including the prized scalp of Kane Williamson who fell for Taijul’s arm ball for the second time in this Test match.
