New Zealand has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series against Bangladesh. At the Seddon Park in Hamilton, the Kiwis won the Test by an innings and 52 runs. Though Soumya Sarkar and skipper Mahmudullah scored tons in the second outing, Bangladesh fell short of NZ’s first innings lead of 481. For the hosts, two left-armers, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult collected a five-wicket haul in the first and second innings, respectively. Besides, New Zealand’s top three hit three-digit scores with Kane Williamson scoring his second double hundred in Tests. Here, Sportzwiki will bring you the match report of the New Zealand-Bangladesh first Test.
Mahmudullah, Sarkar score tons; NZ wins Hamilton Test
Bangladesh’s second innings saw their stand-in captain, Mahmudullah and star batsman, Soumya Sarkar complete respective hundreds. Though a lead of 481 was always going to benefit the hosts, Bangladesh didn’t lose hope and fought hard to stay in the game. On day four, the BAN openers – Tamim Iqbal and Shadman Islam added 88 for the first wicket. Neil Wagner, the first innings hero, gave New Zealand the breakthrough in the name of Islam. It was about time before the scorecard read 126 for four.
At that stage, Bangladesh looked like losing the plot and starring down the barrel. However, the experienced pair of Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah then began the rescue work. Their partnership of 235 gave some hope to the Bangladeshi fans, who have been waiting to see their side register a win in New Zealand for the first time. In the meantime, both Sarkar and Mahmudullah completed their centuries.
As both were going strong and looked like bailing Bangladesh out of trouble, Boult struck gold – cleaning up Sarkar on 149 off 171. From there on, wickets fell in a cluster, as New Zealand knocked down their opponents by an innings and 52 runs. Meanwhile, Mahmudullah also hit 146 off 229 balls.
Here is the scorecard of Bangladesh’s second innings against New Zealand –
The second Test of the three-match series will begin in Wellington on March 7th.
