Latham, Boult put NZ on course for series-levelling win

Agencies Published January 11, 2022

CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand pacer Trent Boult (R) celebrates his 300th Test wicket after cleaning up Bangladesh batter Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the second Test at the Hagley Oval on Monday.—AFP

CHRISTCHURCH: Skipper Tom Latham scored 252, Devon Conway banked another century and Ross Taylor likely played his last Test innings as New Zealand declared at 521-6 before Trent Boult and Tim Southee wrecked Bangladesh with the ball, bowling them out for 126 to put the hosts on course for a series-levelling victory on day two of the second and final Test in Christchurch on Monday.

Boult took 5-43, including his 300th test wicket to join Richard Hadlee, Daniel Vettori and his new ball partner Southee (3-28) among New Zealanders who have taken 300 wickets in Tests. The milestone came in Boult’s 75th Test at an average of 27.35, along with his ninth five-wicket hauls in Tests.

“It definitely means a lot,” Boult said. “I suppose as a team were not about the milestones but it definitely means a lot to join an exclusive club, tough to get a membership. Pretty good conditions, a little bit of swing, and I thought we used the bounce and pace that was on offer at this beautiful ground quite nicely.

“That’s the beauty of Test cricket, the little subtleties that come with different grounds. The wicket obviously offers a little bit of bounce with a bit of grass on it. It’s all about the length here, of us getting them on the front foot and encouraging them to drive down the ground ... pitching the ball up and hopefully we can get 10 [wickets] pretty quickly again.”

The last wicket fell in the final over of the day as the Bangladesh innings ended inside a session and a half, to leave them 395 in arrears. After two days the hosts look well on course for the victory they need to draw the two-match series after their shock defeat in the series opener at Mount Maunganui.

New Zealand had made batting look easy after being sent in on a green wicket with opener Latham in the middle for more than nine hours while Conway added 109 and Tom Blundell was 57 not out.

Conway, who was unbeaten on 99 on Sunday, hit the first ball of the day for a boundary to score his third century in his fifth Test. Conway was run out, having featured in a 215-run stand with Latham.

Resuming on his overnight score of 186, Latham brought up his 200 with a cover-driven four off Taskin Ahmed and went on to become only the second New Zealand player, after Stephen Fleming, to possess two 250-plus scores.

The captain clobbered his Bangladesh counterpart Mominul Haque for two sixes in three balls but was dismissed going for a third. He hit 34 boundaries.

Taylor, playing his last Test, made 28 and Blundell smashed a breezy unbeaten 57 before Latham declared halfway through the middle session.

When they returned, Boult and Southee reduced Bangladesh to 11-4 inside seven overs, challenging their Test low score of 43.

Bangladesh slumped to 27-5 when Liton Das fell to Boult before Yasir Ali (55) and Nurul Hasan (41) resisted with a 60-run partnership.

“Of course we’re disappointed,” Bangladesh batting coach Ashwell Prince said. “If we can learn something from the Kiwis batting on day one it was that they left a lot more balls outside the off stump. The Kiwis got it swinging as well today and bowled really well and made it tough for our guys.”

In a whirlwind start, Boult had Shadman Islam (seven) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (four) both caught by Latham at second slip while Southee bowled debutant Mohammad Naim and captain Mominul Haque without scoring.

The fifth wicket fell in the first over after tea when Boult had Liton Das caught behind for eight.

Southee came back to break up the Yasir-Nurul partnership with a ball that nipped back sharply on Nurul to trap him lbw.

Boult became the fourth New Zealander to take 300 Test wickets when he bowled Mehidy Hasan for five.

Kyle Jamieson removed Taskin Ahmed cheaply and Yasir before Boult finished off the innings bowling Shoriful Islam.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND (1st innings; overnight 349-1):

T. Latham c Yasir b Mominul 252

W. Young c Naim b Shoriful 54

D. Conway run out (Mehidy) 109

R. Taylor c Shoriful b Ebadot 28

H. Nicholls c Nurul b Ebadot 0

D. Mitchell c Nurul b Shoriful 3