Bangladesh finished Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand with their tails up, but they may have been left to rue a few lost opportunities that could have put them in complete control of the contest.
Najmul Hossain Shanto and company reduced the visitors to eight down for 266, 44 runs short of Bangladesh’s first innings total of 310.
The Tigers would consider eight Kiwi wickets a triumph, but things could have gone better for the hosts, who let a few chances slip away, two of which provided reprieves to centurion Kane Williamson.
Unsurprisingly, the top New Zealand batter did what all good players do. Not only did Williamson prevent a collapse, but he also made the hosts pay by capitalising on squandered opportunities to reach his 29th Test tonne, demonstrating why the 33-year-old is among the greatest in the game.
Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was the standout performer of the day, taking four wickets for 89 runs in 30 overs. However, the 31-year-old was to blame for letting Williamson off the hook when, in the 49th over of the innings, he dropped the right-handed hitter on 63 at midwicket. A significant inroad might have been made because Tom Blundell, who was batting at nothing after facing only five deliveries at the other end, would have had to rebuild the innings from a hazardous position, resulting in the Kiwis losing five for 165.
After ten overs, pacer Shoriful Islam missed the trajectory of the ball, allowing Williamson to breathe a sigh of relief once more. He was on 70 at the moment, and New Zealand had just lost Blundell with 186 on the board.
Shoriful could count himself unlucky in a previous example, when the players behind the wickets were unable to determine if Daryl Mitchell, batting on four, had nicked it while attempting to whack a wide one. They were not persuaded enough to request a review, but were left disappointed when replays of Snicko revealed a spike.
Had those opportunities been taken, Bangladesh could have had New Zealand reeling six down, battling to avoid being skittled out for less than 200 or 250, which would have transformed the entire situation of the game with the Tigers taking a significant lead.
Spinners have taken 14 of the 18 wickets that have fallen so far in the encounter. The wicket has accommodated spinners well, as all of them have extracted quick twists.
But Williamson’s tenacious stay at the crease, which resulted in a challenging tonne, demonstrates that a batter, too, can be rewarded for his grit and resolve.
However, the surface is predicted to dry up further, making batting even more difficult in the third and fourth innings, with both teams imposing a spin experiment.
In such circumstances, it is only safe to assume that the final two innings of the game will produce low totals, and Bangladesh, who failed to capitalise on good starts in their first innings, may rue yesterday’s missed opportunities as well in a game that appears to be heading towards a close finish.