New Zealand vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test Day 5 preview: Who will bail the tourists out?

Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah had put on display an excellent – if valiant – rearguard act during the first Test against New Zealand, at Seddon Park, Hamilton. Bangladesh will look for a similar partnership on Day Five of the second Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington. And if there isn’t any, it is unlikely that they will be able to save the Test without rain intervention.

At stumps on Day Four, Bangladesh are 80/3. They still need another 141 to make New Zealand bat again. At the crease are Mohammad Mithun (25*) and Sarkar (12*), with the likes of Mahmudullah and Liton Das to follow, but that is about it.

The pitch is still assisting seam, and survival won’t be easy for New Zealand’s five-pronged pace attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, and Colin de Grandhomme. Remember, there will be an extra half hour’s play to make up for the time lost on the first two days.

Tamim Iqbal, whose lowest score from the first three innings had been 74, flicked the first ball of the innings for four after Bangladesh started 221 behind. Boult bowled him through the gate off the second.

Boult got Mominul Haque as well, caught at third slip with a lifter, while Wagner got a well-set Shadman Islam top-edging a bouncer.

New Zealand had started the day on 38/2, 173 behind, but Kane Williamson (74 in 105 balls) and Ross Taylor (200 in 212) made sure there was no time lost in the Test. Taylor took 61 balls to reach his fifty and Williamson 67.

Though Williamson hit one back to Taijul Islam, New Zealand added 160 in the first session. By then Taylor had raced to a 97-ball 100.

They did better in the second, by adding 174 without losing a wicket. The partnership ended when Henry Nicholls (107 in 129) exposed all three stumps and was bowled by Taijul. The pair added 216 in just 241 balls.

Taylor reached his third double-hundred after tea and perished almost immediately, going for a slog. Williamson declared immediately after BJ Watling got out. New Zealand had scored 432/6 at over 5 an over.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 211 (Tamim Iqbal 74; Trent Boult 3/38, Neil Wagner 4/28) and 80/3 (Shadman Islam 29; Trent Boult 2/34) trail New Zealand 432/6 decl. (Kane Williamson 74, Ross Taylor 200, Henry Nicholls 107; Abu Jayed 3/94) by 141 runs.