New Zealand 419 for 8 (Anderson 116, Williamson 62, Watling 59*, Shakib 5-97) lead Bangladesh 282 by 137 runs
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Corey Anderson
scored his maiden Test century with a calculated dominance of the
Bangladesh attack. His 116 led the way for New Zealand as they ended the
third day of the second Test on 419 for 8 with a lead of 137.
Shakib Al Hasan's five-wicket haul was the only solace for Bangladesh,
who also had to endure a late, 84-run ninth-wicket partnership between
BJ Watling and Ish Sodhi. On a pitch that is offering more turn every
day, the stand further dented the confidence of the Bangladesh bowlers.
Watling was unbeaten on 59 and Sodhi on 53, the legspinner's maiden Test
fifty.
Bangladesh had a good start to the day, picking one of the two wickets
they had sought desperately on the second day. New Zealand had added 20
runs in 3.3 overs before Ross Taylor edged Shakib to first slip for 53
off 79 balls.
Williamson was the other wicket that the hosts wanted but they didn't
get the batsman for another couple of hours. While they focused on
dismissing New Zealand's No. 3, Bangladesh were blind-sided by Anderson,
who had made his debut in the first Test in Chittagong.
Anderson made a quiet start, scoring just one run off his first 12
deliveries, but broke free with a four through long-on off Sohag Gazi.
He swiftly hit a few more fours before swinging a six off Shakib and
brought up his fifty off 72 balls. At lunch, New Zealand were 51 runs
behind, but Anderson had moved to 75 and Williamson was on 56.
The pair ensured New Zealand also maintained a good run-rate of 3.72.
The first session saw New Zealand score 124 runs for the loss of one
wicket and, with the threat of rain and a spinning track, it marked a
shift in the momentum of the game.
Thirty-odd minutes after the break, Anderson reached his hundred with a
glide through midwicket off Gazi. It was an assertive innings -
Bangladesh couldn't get Anderson playing and missing for too long, and
eventually the batsman would hit out with a four. Predictably, he
played spin more than pace but dominated Shakib, Gazi and Abdur Razzak.
Against Rubel Hossain, who tested him on a few occasions from around the
wicket, Anderson struck five boundaries.
At the other end, Williamson steadily brought up his third successive
fifty in the series with a four down the ground off Al-Amin Hossain.
Williamson had a reprieve on 58 when Mushfiqur dropped a chance off
Gazi, but fortunately for Bangladesh, it didn't cost them too much as
the batsman was out for 62.
Razzak broke the 140-run stand as Williamson miscued and holed out to
Tamim Iqbal at deep mid-wicket. Seven overs later, Al-Amin had Anderson
caught in the covers for his first Test wicket. Anderson scored 116 off
173 balls with 13 fours and a couple of sixes.
Shakib completed his tenth five-wicket haul when he had Doug Bracewell
caught behind in the 101st over of the New Zealand innings. Then came
the late-order resistance from Sodhi and Watling, who made sure they
held on to the advantage created by the middle-order.
It wasn't an attractive stand, but the pair nudged and smothered the
spin and the frustration of the crowd grew with every lightly tapped
boundary from Watling. Sodhi showed his batting potential, not reluctant
to manufacture shots when the field was up.
Bangladesh's bowling, indifferent throughout the day, hardly had venom
at the stage. Gazi remained wicketless and had himself to blame for
spilling a return chance from Sodhi. Razzak was expensive on the second
evening, and mostly ineffective on the third day. Rubel and Al-Amin
tried hard, but the New Zealand batsmen played them well. Shakib
remained the best bowler on show, although he too strayed towards the
end.
Bangladesh now have the hard task of staying in contention in the game.
Apart from dismissing New Zealand quickly, they must come up with a
proper second-innings response to put the visitors out of the game. For
that, they can learn from the Williamson-Anderson stand that has given
New Zealand an advantage.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. He tweets here
Feeds: Mohammad Isam
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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