New Zealand wrapped up the second Test against Bangladesh by an innings and 117 runs in Christchurch yesterday to draw the series, with veteran batsman Ross Taylor taking the final wicket in a fairy-tale finish to his Test career.
Bangladesh, forced to follow on 385 runs behind, were dismissed in their second innings for 278 after Liton Das had cracked a gallant 102 off 111 deliveries.
However, the day belonged to 37-year-old Taylor, New Zealand’s elder statesman playing his 112th and final Test, who had a rare bowl with his part-time offspin at the end and needed just three balls to take the last wicket of Ebadot Hossain, caught by Tom Latham for four.
Photo: AP
It was a fitting farewell for Taylor, who bowed out of red-ball cricket with a New Zealand record of 7,683 runs, putting him 37th in the all-time list of the sport’s most prolific run-getters.
“I wanted to finish with a win and the guys definitely gave that to me,” Taylor said. “The way we came out and bowled, and put them under pressure after putting up a very good total put us in good stead.”
“It was an emotional game for me, my family and friends and it was good to get the win,” he added.
Captain Tom Latham summed up New Zealand’s victory as “close to the perfect performance... After losing the toss and getting put in, to get a significant score on the board and then for the bowlers to do their thing on a wicket that was flattening out was outstanding.”
The Bangladesh top order put up gritty resistance in reaching 123-3, while Liton shared a century partnership for the sixth wicket with Nurul Hasan, but there was no fight in the tail as New Zealand, the reigning world Test champions, completed a much-needed win after being comprehensively beaten by eight wickets in the first Test.
Rather than be disappointed in the result, Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque said winning one Test and sharing the two-match series was “a very big achievement for us.”
“So we have to take this challenge and continue our momentum,” he added.
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