2nd Test, Day 2: Shakib’s triple strike leaves match poised

Shakib al
Shakib Al Hasan took three wickets in nine balls before rain forced early stumps on the second day. Image Source: twitter

Internet Desk: Shakib Al Hasan struck thrice in two overs to give Bangladesh the edge when rain forced early stumps on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval.

New Zealand was 260 for 7 in 71 overs, still trailing Bangladesh by 29 runs when the rains came down in Christchurch on Saturday (January 21). Henry Nicholls and Tim Southee were unbeaten on 56 and 4 respectively.

New Zealand went into the final session on 192 for 4, and the fifth-wicket pair of Nicholls and Mitchell Santner had added 60 more to extend their stand to 75 when Shakib struck for the first time in the match.

He trapped Santner on the backfoot with a ball that did not spin much and the umpire had no hesitation in raising his finger. Santner reviewed the decision unsuccessfully, before walking back to the dressing room for 29.

BJ Watling was the next to go in the 69th over when his attempt to cut a straight ball from Shakib resulted in the stumps being uprooted. Shakib needed three more balls to add another wicket to his tally, when Colin de Grandhomme went for a drive against an arm ball but missed the line to be bowled.

Shakib’s figures at that point read 6-0-28-3. He was allowed just one more over after that, in which Southee collected one boundary, before the skies opened up.

Before Shakib changed the script, New Zealand had looked assured, as Tom Latham and Ross Taylor put on 106 runs for the third wicket.

Taylor was on 77 and in sight of what would have been his 17th century, as he accelerated the New Zealand innings. But 10 minutes before the tea break, he flicked Mehedi Hasan to midwicket for Taijul Islam, the substitute fielder, to take a simple catch. The umpires conferred and television replays confirmed that the catch was legitimate and had not gone to ground immediately after hitting Taylor’s bat.

New Zealand had gone to lunch at 70 for 2 batting cautiously, but Taylor and Latham picked up the pace when play resumed. They had lifted New Zealand from 45 for 2, after Kamrul Islam had taken two wickets in three balls, to put on a 108 for the third wicket in 144 deliveries.

Latham, enjoying a strong series against Bangladesh, reached 68 when he was caught behind off Taskin Ahmed. Like Kane Williamson, the captain, earlier in the innings, it was a case of dabbing at a short, wide delivery.

Williamson was out for 2, from the second ball he faced, after Jeet Raval had been bowled for 16 when Kamrul broke through New Zealand’s top order.

Taylor had earlier driven Mehedi through the covers for three to move to 63 and become the third New Zealander and fastest to reach 6,000 Test runs.