Hamilton: Bangladesh put up a fight in the second innings of the first Test match but Trent Boult’s five-wicket haul helped New Zealand secure a win by an innings and 52 runs in Hamilton on Sunday.
Bangladesh was reduced to 126 for four on the third day, but Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah Riyad stitched together a partnership of 235 runs to delay the victory for the Kiwis.
Mahmudullah struck his career-best score of 146 runs while Soumya Sarkar struck his first century in the Test format as he played a knock of 149 runs.
The Kiwis had to toil hard on the fourth day as they had to wait for 42 overs before making a break-through. But once they did, the procession resumed as Boult recorded his eighth Test five-wicket-haul.
It was in this match that the Kiwis posted their highest ever Test total of 715 for the loss of six wickets. Kane Williamson struck his second Test double century in this match.
“As a batting unit on that surface we wanted to bat long, was fortunate to help be a part of a number of partnerships,” Kane Williamson, captain of New Zealand, said after the match.
“It feels great to win. We knew it would be a big push. The surface was not going to offer a huge amount. We knew Bangladesh had a lot of quality. I thought throughout the whole Test the bowlers were outstanding.
“No seam movement, a little bit of swing and bounce which we tried to extract with the short ball. It was an outstanding opening partnership, Tom is churning them out and for Jeet to make a hundred was so pleasing. It will be a different assignment in Wellington, we will have to adapt and not rest on this performance. I have no doubt if the game had gone five days we would have seen more spin,” Williamson said.
The Kiwis would be hoping to win the second Test match of the three-match series to take an unassailable lead in the series.
New Zealand takes on Bangladesh in the second Test match on March 8 at Wellington.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]