Bangladesh has won the toss and decided to field in the first test of the two-match series against New Zealand on the first day of the New Year. The match started at 4 am Bangladesh time on Saturday at Mount Maunganui Bay Oval, New Zealand.
Bangladesh captured the early wicket of captain Tom Latham and put New Zealand’s batsmen through a searching examination after winning the toss Saturday on the first day of the first cricket test.
At lunch, New Zealand had crept cautiously to 66-1 in 27 overs, subdued by Bangladesh’s accurate bowling on a green pitch at Bay Oval.
Opener Will Young took 22 balls to get off the mark and was 27 at lunch. Devon Conway, returning after breaking his hand at the Twenty20 World Cup in November, also was tentative at first but had reached 26 by the break.
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque was eager to bowl on winning the toss and Latham said New Zealand would have done the same. The pitch at Mount Maunganui was greener than usual and Haque wanted to give his seamers the benefit of any early moisture left in the surface.
Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam bowled outstanding first spells, keeping the seam upright and hitting the pitch on a full length, moving the ball away from the right-handers.
New Zealand and Bangladesh put the impending retirement of Black Caps great Ross Taylor at the forefront of preparations for the first Test which starts at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
“He would love to go out with a 2-0 series win,” New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said after the Black Caps’ most prolific run-scorer announced he will put away his Test whites after the two-match series.
But Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said the tourists “want to try and make sure he doesn’t have a great send-off. But we know we have to bowl well to get him out.”
The New Zealand emphasis will be on its four-pronged pace attack of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson, who have kept the side unbeaten in their past 16 home Tests.
