CHITTAGONG (Bangladesh), Oct 18: Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took a maiden five-wicket haul to help Bangladesh gain an upper hand over New Zealand on the second day of the opening Test here on Saturday.

The 21-year-old turned his left arm with magical effect to take 6-31, leaving the tourists reeling at 155-9 after Daniel Vettori took five wickets to shoot Bangladesh out for 245 in the first innings.

Vettori the batsman then held fort for the visitors as he went unbeaten on a pugnacious 48 with No 10 Jeetan Patel falling in the last over of the day for nought, leaving the tourists 90 runs behind.

“I am happy to have contributed with the ball,” said Shakib, who skipped the tour of Australia last month because of college exams and is better known for his left-handed batting, though he only managed five runs here.

“I just bowled in the right areas and was rewarded. It’s now up to us to not lose such a good chance of winning the Test.”

Shakib had Jamie How (16) and debutant Jesse Ryder (1) out in successive overs, before trapping Aaron Redmond (19) to wrestle back the initiative for the home team.

Shakib, who had just three wickets to show in his previous six Tests, then got the prized wickets of Brendon McCullum (25) and Jacob Oram (0) to leave New Zealand in tatters at 100-7 before Vettori and Kyle Mills put up some fight.

In between left-arm spin partner Abdur Razzak trapped Ross Taylor for 12.

Daniel Flynn (19) and McCullum did try to take the attack to the bowlers, with Flynn hoisting two boundaries and a six before he edged to wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim to give debutant Naeem Islam a wicket in his first over.

Vettori and Mills (4) added 26 for the eighth wicket before Shakib struck again, forcing an edge off Mills to the keeper. Shakib’s previous best of 2-44 was against the same opponents at Wellington in January this year.

In the morning Vettori took three of the six wickets to fall in the space of just 57 runs to finish with 5-59, his 16th five-wicket haul on a slow Divisional Stadium pitch.

The 29-year-old spinner dismissed Mushfiqur (79), Mashrafe Mortaza (0) and Razzak (11) after Bangladesh resumed at the overnight score of 183-4.

Vettori was ably supported by paceman Iain O’Brien (3-36) and off-spinner Patel who finished with 2-67.

Bangladesh were pegged back from the start, losing Mehrab Hossain to O’Brien in the fourth over of the day for a fine career-best 83.

Mehrab, playing only his second Test, miscued a drive and was caught at short cover by Redmond. He hit 11 boundaries during his resolute 179-ball knock.

Mehrab and Mushfiqur added an invaluable 144 for the fifth wicket.

Mushfiqur also added 41 for the sixth wicket with Naeem (14) before Vettori dismissed him off a miscued sweep. Mushfiqur struck 12 boundaries and a six during his 209-ball innings.

Scoreboard

BANGLADESH (1st Innings, overnight 183-4):

Tamim Iqbal c McCullum b Vettori 18

Junaed Siddique lbw b O’Brien 0

Rajin Saleh b O’Brien 20

Mohammad Ashraful lbw b Vettori 2

Mehrab Hossain c Redmond b O’Brien 83

Mushfiqur Rahim c How b Vettori 79

Naeem Islam st McCullum b Patel 14

Shakib Al Hasan c Vettori b Patel 5

Mashrafe Mortaza c Ryder b Vettori 0

Abdur Razzak c McCullum b Vettori 11

Shahadat Hossain not out 0

EXTRAS (B-12, LB-1) 13

TOTAL (all out, 122 overs) 245

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-34, 3-40, 4-44, 5-188, 6-229, 7-229, 8-229, 9-245.

BOWLING: Mills 19-7-46-0; O’Brien 23-11-36-3, Oram 20-13-14-0; Ryder 3-1-10-0; Patel 21.1-7-67-2; Vettori 36-15-59-5.

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings):

A.J. Redmond lbw b Shakib 19

J.M. How c Saleh b Shakib 16

J.D. Ryder c Saleh b Shakib 1

L.R.P.L. Taylor lbw b Razzak 12

B.B. McCullum c Razzak b Shakib 25

D.R. Flynn c Mushfiqur b Naeem 19

J.D.P. Oram c Mashrafe b Shakib 0

D.L. Vettori not out 48

K.D. Mills c Mushfiqur b Shakib 4

J.S. Patel c Shakib b Ashraful 0

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-6, NB-1) 11

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 60.3 overs) 155

FALL OF WKTS: 1-27, 2-29, 3-46, 4-52, 5-99, 6-99, 7-100, 8-126, 9-155.

TO BAT: I.E. O’Brien.

BOWLING (to-date): Mashrafe Mortaza 7-4-13-0 (1nb); Shahadat Hossain 11-0-35-0; Shakib Al Hasan 24-7-31-6; Abdur Razzak 14-1-46-1; Mehrab Hossain Jr 1-0-8-0; Naeem Islam 3-0-11-1; Mohammad Ashraful 0.3-0-1-1.—AFP