The 10, 000-strong holiday crowd witnessed a familiar batting collapse that saw the home side slip to 122-9 but umpires decided not to extend play beyond lunch.

During the interval while frustrated supporters took stock of yet another horror show, there was a brief entertainment show.

Suddenly men and women dressed in black performed mimes near in one corner of the Big Bowl.

At first, spectators thought it was an advertisement shoot or a 'package programme' but it was later understood that a multinational company in collaboration with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was performing the show to promote a product. The theme of the show was sport with cricket and football being the highlights.

While the fans kept coming, it was sorry that the Board advisors were mostly invisible during the first Test.

BCB president Ali Asghar made brief appearances earlier but he was nowhere to be seen on Friday. In fact only two advisors were seen when the home team were heading towards a 17th innings defeat in 31 Tests.

Perhaps they should have taken a leaf out of Sonny Shaw's book. If he could fly all the way from New Zealand to follow every ball from Day One why could not the Board officials do so?

If they did then they would have heard the enthusiastic Kiwi globe trotter's last remark: "The tiger is really a pussy cat!"

IMPATIENT NAFEES!
Patience is a virtue that Nafees Iqbal sadly does not possess. Playing in his first Test, the talented 20-year-old may have had a forgettable debut against New Zealand scoring just one, but in the second innings the Chittagonian was all set for a maiden half-century when he unnecessarily ran himself out.

Later the right-hander admitted he should not have attempted that fatal second run.

"The second innings could have been a lot different had I only shown more patience. I was responsible for the run out because I was so eager to get to fifty," said Nafees, the nephew of former national skipper Akram Khan.

He defended the top-order's policy of trying to hit the spinners out of the attack.

"Daniel Vettori was causing us many headaches and that's why we decided to launch an attack on the spinners to break the shackles. And I think it was a right decision considering the state of the pitch. But our aggressive ploy all went wrong with my misjudged call," he added.

"Still I've learned a lot from my first Test appearance, especially I understand the importance of being patient when you are on the verge of completing a landmark."

BETTER LEAVE IT TO HIM
It is customary to ask a captain after a match about his target for the next game. And Khaled Mashud, who led Bangladesh in the absence of Habibul Bashar, was asked that exact question following the side's defeat.

But the wicketkeeper had a valid reason for not saying about the Tigers' target in the second Test starting in Chittagong on October 26.

"I was appointed captain for one match, so it is not wise to say anything because Bashar will return to take charge," Mashud said.

But later in the evening it was revealed that Habibul Bashar was not going to lead the side when selectors announced the 13-member squad. And so that means Mashud will have to carry on.