Published on 04:11 AM, March 02, 2019

Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 3

Soumya, Mahmudullah take Tigers to day's end

Bangladesh 2nd innings 174/4 in 43 overs, Soumya 39* (51b). Mahmudullah 15* (40b), FoWs: 1-88 (Shadman Islam, 22.3 ov), 2-100 (Mominul Haque, 23.6 ov), 3-110 (Mohammad Mithun, 25.5 ov), 4-126 (Tamim Iqbal, 30.2 ov)

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal watchfully plays down a short ball during the tourists' second innings on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on March 2. Photo: AFP

Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah Riyad dealt with the short ball barrage albeit with much difficulty to see Bangladesh go through the rest of the day without any further loss of wickets in their second innings. After the fall of Tamim Iqbal, who fell to a short delivery after a gritty knock, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner battered down the Tigers with short deliveries but Mahmudullah and Soumya managed to somehow contend with the short deliveries, taking body blows on the way to the day's end. Some DRS controversy was thrown into the mix when Mahmudullah could have perished early in the innings.

Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Shadman Islam had gotten off to a solid and fast start in response to the mountain of runs that New Zealand scored in their first innings on the third day of the first Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton, but four quick wickets left Bangladesh in a troublesome position in this first Test.

New Zealand piled on 715 for six --their highest-ever Test total --  before skipper Kane Williamson -- having scored an unbeaten 200 -- declared the innings closed with a mammoth 481-run first-innings lead in a day where records tumbled. Bangladesh were shot out for 234 in their first innings on the first day. 

Updates

STUMPS: 42.6: Bangladesh 174/4, Soumya 39 (51), Mahmudullah 15 (40) -- That is stumps on Day 3. Bangladesh still trail by 307 runs with six wickets remaining and still the prospect of an innings defeat looming on the horizon.

35.3: Bangladesh 150/4, Soumya 26* (33), Mahmudullah 4 (16) -- Soumya slashes at one outside the off-stump and manages to get enough bat on it for the ball to go over Watling and to the boundary ropes. Bangladesh have brought up their 150.

30.2: Bangladesh 126/4, Tamim 74, Soumya 6* (15b) -- Tamim backs off to clear his front leg to a short delivery but then decides to duck under it. Unfortunately the trailing top end of his bat hits the ball and the ball loops up. Easy catch for the wicket-keeper. Tamim Iqbal c †Watling b Southee 74 (131m 86b 11x4 1x6) SR: 86.04

25.5:Bangladesh 110/3, Tamim 64* (74b), Mithun 0 (4b) -- Mohammad Mithun compounds Bangladesh's worries with a four-ball duck. Like Mominul, he is guilty of playing at a delivery that he could have left alone, and ends up edging Trent Boult to gully. Mithun c Williamsobn b Boult 0 (4b)

23. 6: Bangladesh 100/2, Tamim 54* (67b), Mominul 8 (6b) -- Mominul Haque promises much with a brace of leg-side boundaries against Trent Boult, but then gives it all away with a needless waft outside off stump that sees him edging to first slip. Mominul c Taylor b Boult 8 (6b, 4x2)

22.3: Bangladesh 88/1, Tamim 50* (64b), Shadman 37 (69b) -- The good news does not last long for Bangladesh as Shadman Islam's patience runs out and he hooks bouncer machine Neil Wagner straight down the throat of long leg. Shadman c Boult b Wagner 37 (69b, 4x5)

22.1: Bangladesh 88/0, Tamim 50* (64b), Shadman 37 (69b) -- Bangladesh's premier opener Tamim Iqbal pulls Neil Wagner to deep square leg for a single and completes his second fifty-plus score of the match -- and his 26th half-century -- after scoring a 128-ball 126 in the first innings. 

TEA: Bangladesh 56/0 in 11 overs, Tamim 35* (36b), Shadman 21* (30b) -- The Bangladesh openers, having put on 57 in the first innings before things went pear-shaped -- have given the tourists a solid start once more by maximising the runs off the first 11 overs leading up to the tea interval. Bangladesh, of course, are still in big trouble, needing to score 425 more to make the hosts bat again.

163.6: New Zealand 715/6 dec, Williamson 200* (257b), De Grandhomme 76* (53b) -- With a powerfully pulled boundary off Abu Jayed New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson reaches his second Test double-century -- an utterly dominant one -- and promptly declares the innings closed one hour after lunch and with a massive 419-run first-innings lead over a beleaguered Bangladesh. 

LUNCH: New Zealand 605/6 in 147.5 overs, Williamson 166: Kane Williamson brought his hundred up in the 122nd over after resuming the day on an unbeaten 93. While he was scoring seven runs in around four overs, nightwatchman Neil Wagner -- who took five wickets in Bangladesh's first-innings 234 and was batting on one overnight -- was hitting sixes and boundaries off bouncers served up by Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain as the hosts added 52 runs in the six overs of the day after resuming on 451 for four in 118 overs. Wagner pulled and hooked his way -- including three boundaries off short deliveries in the 121st over from Ebadot Hossain -- to a 43-ball 47 before becoming Ebadot Hossain's first Test victim. 

BJ Watling then came in and stuck around to score a 67-ball 31 during a 96-run sixth-wicket partnership with his skipper, before being caught smartly down the leg side by wicketkeeper Liton Das to give off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz his second wicket and signalling the lunch interval.

New Zealand 1st innings: 509/5 in 125 overs, Williamson 166*(219b), Watling 31 (87) -- Mehedi Hasan Miraz's toil, if not quality in this innings, pays dividends in a lucky break. The off-spinner bowls a bad ball down the leg side and Watling gets a tickle onto it for wicketkeeper Liton Das to flash across and accept a fine chance with glee. Watling c Liton b Mehedi 31 (85m 67b 2x4) 

124.5: New Zealand 1st innings: 509/5 in 125 overs, Williamson 104*(147), Wagner 47 (43) -- The short ball strategy pays off, albeit not after substantials expenses incurred, for Ebadot Hossain. He comes around the wicket and digs one in and Wagner -- happy to have pulled and hooked such deliveries from over the wicket -- is a little wafty on the slash outside off stump and gets a nick through to the keeper, thus ending a crucial cameo. It is a first Test wicket for Ebadot, who has toiled manfully under the circumstances. Wagner c Liton b Ebadot 47 (43b, 4x6, 6x3)

121.4: New Zealand 477/4. Williamson 100 (143b, 4x9), 20 (20b, 4x4) -- Kane Williamson tucks Khaled Ahmed off his hips towards fine leg and the single brings up the Kiwi batting maestro's 20th Test ton in his 71st Test and 126th innings.