Taijul Islam scripted one of Bangladesh’s finest Test victories, as he took six wickets in the second innings to complete a 10-wicket match haul to help beat New Zealand by 150 runs in Sylhet.
The home side needed 86 minutes to take the remaining three wickets of the visitors on the fifth morning. New Zealand added 68 runs, but Taijul took two of the three wickets that fell. Overnight on 113 for 7 with Daryl Mitchell as the only one from the top six surviving the rout, New Zealand needed a miracle to survive on the final day. It was also the first time in the game that the pitch offered uneven bounce.
Mitchell was watchful during his stay in the morning and also reached his ninth Test fifty. But his resistance ended when he couldn’t connect a sweep off Nayeem Hasan properly, giving Taijul a tumbling catch halfway from deep square leg.
Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi then resisted for the next 52 deliveries it ended when Southee gave a low catch to midwicket off Taijul’s delivery. Southee struck a couple of sixes in his 24-ball 34 to take his tally to 85 sixes in Tests, which took him past Vivian Richards’ record of 84, and he is now ninth on the list of batters with most Test sixes.
The end came when Ish Sodhi tried to block a Taijul delivery that turned a tad but ended up giving silly mid-off a straightforward catch. He had lasted 91 balls for his 22.
Bangladesh are now on 12 points in the World Test Championship points table. Their only other WTC win was also against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui at the start of 2022.
New Zealand’s hopes of a win diminished on day four. Shoriful had Tom Latham edging his pitched-up delivery that moved away slightly and Nurul Hasan dived low to his left to remove the opener for a duck. Kane Williamson, who had scored his 29th Test hundred in the first innings, was going to be key to New Zealand’s approach on the fourth day.
But Taijul then got the prized wicket of Wil-liamson, who was dragged forward on the defensive push, only for the spinning delivery to beat the inside edge and hit his front leg. Williamson opted for the review but found out quickly that he was plumb in front.
Henry Nicholls top-edged a sweep off Mehidy Hasan Miraz and was caught by Nayeem at short fine leg. Devon Conway lasted more than an hour for his 22 before giving Taijul his second wicket. Shahadat Hossain took the simple catch at short leg after the left-hander charged the left-arm spinner and got an inside edge onto his pad. Tom Blundell looked in trouble from the onset and didn’t last too long. Taijul found vicious turn and bounce to have Blundell squared up and feather the ball to the keeper. The collapse continued in the 35th over when Nayeem trapped Glenn Phillips lbw for 12, before Taijul also trapped Kyle Jamieson lbw.
Bangladesh had set New Zealand a 332-run target in the fourth innings, after getting bowled out for 338 runs in their second innings. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s century had put the hosts in the driver’s seat and Taijul drove them to the finish line.—Agencies
