Bangladesh take first Test against New Zealand by 150 runs in memorable triumph in Sylhet
Bangladesh takes the first test against New Zealand in Sylhet as Taijul Islam stars; The second and final Test of the series starts on Wednesday December 6 in Mirpur
Saturday 2 December 2023 08:06, UK
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam claimed a match haul of 10 wickets to bowl Bangladesh to a comprehensive 150-run victory against New Zealand in the opening Test in Sylhet on Saturday.
Chasing 332 for victory on a turning track, New Zealand headed into the final day on a precarious 113-7 against a spin-heavy Bangladesh attack on a dry and turning pitch.
Overnight batter Daryl Mitchell (58) completed his fifty and skipper Tim Southee (34) staged a brief rearguard but Bangladesh needed 90 minutes on the final day to wrap up victory and go 1-0 up in the two-Test series.
It was a memorable win for a depleted Bangladesh side missing several frontline players through injuries, including regular captain Shakib Al Hasan, against a full-strength New Zealand side.
- Scorecard: New Zealand in Bangladesh - First Test
- What cricket is live on Sky Sports?
- Stream the best cricket and more with NOW
Taijul claimed 6-75 in the second innings and was the obvious choice for the player-of-the-match award.
Trending
- Usyk denies Fury in intense world championship rematch
- Big fight reaction: What next for Fury and Usyk after contentious call?
- Highlights: Usyk overcomes Fury in epic heavyweight rematch
- Fury rages: I was robbed... Usyk got a Christmas gift!
- 'He got a Christmas gift!' | Fury left fuming in post-fight press conference
- Papers: Arsenal, Man City and Bayern in three-way battle for Olmo
- 'Uncle Frank is blind!' | Usyk responds to Fury complaints
- Littler tested on emotional Worlds return: 'Never felt anything like that'
- 'I want my revenge!' Dubois storms ring to demand Usyk rematch
- PL hits & misses: Arsenal are title-race ready, Man City are ordinary
"We were not thinking about the result, we just followed our process," stand-in Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said after their first Test win on home soil against New Zealand.
"The job is half done, we still have a long way to go."
Batting fourth on a turning track in the sub-continent counts among the game's greatest challenges and New Zealand's frontline batters failed the trial by spin on Friday.
Only Mitchell had looked assured facing the spinners with a shoal of fielders around his bat and once his slog-sweep against Nayeem Hasan found Taijul at backward square, the game was all but over for New Zealand.
Southee was not prepared to go down with a fight though as he smashed a couple of sixes, while Ish Sodhi (22) also resisted for a while before Taijul removed both.
"Very disappointed, but credit to Bangladesh, they play really well as a side in these conditions," Southee said afterwards.
"Our bowling group needs to create pressure for longer, batters need to stitch more partnerships, be better for longer."
