cricket
England Avert Ashes Whitewash after a nerve-wracking Draw in the Fourth Test
Australia won the 2021-2022 Ashes series after three straight victories against England. When the Sydney Test began, they were on a mission to whitewash England. However, England's tail-enders survived a tense last hour of the match to deny Australia a 5-0 series victory. Australia will play the fifth match in Hobart with the goal of completing the series 4-0, while England will try to restore some pride. The series' final match will begin on January 14. The fourth Test match report of Australia vs England is discussed in this article.
Australia vs England 2021-2022 Ashes: Fourth Test Match Report
When England batted in the closing hour of day 4, they had a mammoth 388-run target. Therefore, the English campaign preferred to save the match rather than go after the target. The English openers survived the fourth day, scoring 30 runs in 11 overs.
The openers started fresh with the hopes of drawing the match, but new sensation Scott Boland gave Australia an early breakthrough in the first hour on day five. He sent Haseeb Hameed back to the pavilion in the tenth over of the day.
Read BPL 2022: The Favourites, Outsiders and Underdogs
The England batters tried to build big partnerships in the middle but were unable to do so. In fact, most of England's partnerships lasted 10 to 15 overs.
With only two wickets remaining in the closing hour of day five, the match was heading towards a nail-biting finish. Steven Smith infused some excitement into the match by dismissing Jack Leach two overs short of the scheduled over. England were able to draw the match with the help of two veteran cricketers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Zack Crawley (77) and Ben Stokes (60) both scored crucial runs for England, while Australia's most successful bowler in the second innings was Scott Boland (3/30).
Read: Memorable International Cricket Moments in 2021
Australia made one major change for the fourth Test in Sydney. Travis Head was replaced by Usman Khawaja. The elegant left-hander made the most of his opportunity, smashing back-to-back hundreds in the contest. Khawaja's 137 in the first innings contributed to Australia's 416/8d total. For England, Stuart Broad took 5 wickets in the first innings. However, England were bowled out for 294 runs in their first innings, handing Australia a 122-run lead. Jonny Bairstow scored 113 runs for the visitors, while Scott Boland took the most wickets for the hosts with four.
Australia were much more aggressive in the second innings. They declared their innings on 265/6d after setting England a 388-run target. Usman Khawaja sparkled once more with the bat, finishing undefeated on 101*. Jack Leach took the most wickets with four for the English team.
Player of the Match
Osman Khawaja was awarded player of the match for his amazing batting effort in the game. He scored centuries in both innings, allowing Australia to take complete control of the Sydney Test against England.
Read: England clings on for a draw in dramatic 4th Ashes test
2021-2023 ICC Test Championship Points Table
Sri Lanka top the ICC Test Championship points standings with 100 percent PCT, ahead of Australia and Pakistan. On the other hand, England have plummeted to the bottom of the current points table.
ICC Test Championship Points Table (as of January 9, 2022)
Position
Team
PCT (%)
1
Sri Lanka
100
2
Australia
83.33
3
Pakistan
75.00
4
India
55.21
5
South Africa
50.00
6
Bangladesh
33.33
7
West Indies
25.00
8
New Zealand
11.11
9
England
10.41
Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/world-test-championship/standings
Bottom Line
The England team is having a very hard time in the ongoing Ashes series. England's top order has appeared to be shaky to face an inspiring Australia bowling unit. As a result, England's middle-order has been put under a lot of pressure, reducing their prospects of dominating during the match. England's bowlers have performed well in the series, although not as well as their opponents. Australia are expected to reclaim the number one position in the ICC Test Championship after this Ashes series. Oppositely, England's place in the standings may decline further, causing a major blow in their quest for the second cycle's final match.
Read BPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of all Six Teams
England clings on for a draw in dramatic 4th Ashes test
England’s tailenders resisted Australia’s bowlers in fading light Sunday to clinch a draw on a dramatic final day of the fourth test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Jack Leach, Stuart Broad and then Jimmy Anderson batted out the final 10 overs under immense pressure after Pat Cummins and Scott Boland took three quick wickets in the final session before Steve Smith removed Leach with two overs remaining to set up a nervous finale to a gripping test match.
At stumps, England finished on 270-9 with Broad unbeaten on eight and Anderson not out on nought to give England its best result of the five-match series that Australia leads 3-0.
Read: Latham, Conway come up with thumping response
“It’s a small step forward,” said captain Joe Root. “I think coming into the game I spoke a lot about putting some pride back into English cricket and into the test performance.
“The fight, desire and character shown today and throughout the five days has done that in a small way.”
With the final hour approaching, Cummins removed Jos Buttler and Mark Wood in the space of three balls to turn the test on its head after it was looking increasingly likely that England would earn a draw after its most determined batting effort of the series.
Boland then continued his torrid start to test cricket by having first-innings centurion Jonny Bairstow caught by Marnus Labuschagne for 41. It was Boland’s 14th wicket in just his second test after making his test debut in the third test at Melbourne where he was named man of the match.
But Broad and Leach saw out the remaining 10 overs despite Australia have all its fielders around the bat in catching positions as the fading light meant Australia had to bowl spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith in the final three overs.
“From the position we found ourselves in at certain points in this game, to be able to sit here having drawn... was going to take a good performance and I’m really proud of the way the guys dug in and managed to do that,” Root said.
Earlier in the session, Stokes, no stranger in proving to be an immovable object for Australia after his heroics in the 2019 Ashes series in England, did not appear to let the pain of his left side injury curtail his attacking shots as he crushed ten boundaries and a six as part of his 60 runs, to go with his 66 in the first innings.
But Lyon eventually made the vital breakthrough as he caught Stokes in two minds as to whether to play at a ball or leave it. In the end, he did neither and guided a simple chance to Smith at slip. It was the ninth time that Lyon has taken Stokes’ wicket, including twice in this match.
As the final hour loomed, Cummins (2-80) made a breakthrough when trapping Buttler lbw for 11. On-field umpire Paul Reiffel initially rejected the appeal before Cummins referred to the TV umpire, who reversed the decision.
Two balls later Cummins dismissed Wood with a vicious in-swinging delivery that hit the tail-ender on the foot for a much easier lbw decision for Reiffel to confirm.
Boland then had Bairstow caught to expose England’s tail, but Leach and Broad and then Anderson found a way to survive despite up to nine fielders in close catching positions.
It was the third time in the past 12 months that Australia’s attack has failed to bowl out a team on the final day, having twice squandered winning positions against India last season, and again here at the SCG on Sunday.
“I think first of all the weather played a bit of a part in this game and you basically can’t predict it at all,” said Cummins when asked about the timing of his declaration on Saturday. “I thought the wicket still wasn’t playing too many tricks and I thought if they batted really well, 350 was pretty achievable out there.
“I thought 110 overs was enough time but having the luxury after the way Uzzie (Khawaja) and (Green) batted we had enough runs in the bank and that we could effectively attack for those whole 110 overs.”
Before tea, Root and Stokes combined for a 60-run partnership from 26 overs before Boland had the English skipper edging through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey for 24 to give Australia renewed optimism it may be able to bowl England out.
Read:Pumped-up Tigers aim for monumental series win against Blackcaps
Needing to bat out the day to draw the test after being set an improbable 388 to win, the tourists lost a very defensive-minded Hameed (9) and Malan (4) in the morning session, but Zak Crawley decided that attack was the best form of defense as he unleashed eight boundaries on his way to a 69-ball half-century.
Hameed was dropped by Carey off Cummins, but only survived a few more overs as he again edged through to Carey, who made the catch, to give Boland yet another wicket.
Lyon (2-28) was introduced into the attack and in his third over found a way through Malan’s defenses to have England at 74-2 after the first hour of play.
Crawley’s enterprising innings was halted at 77 after 13 boundaries when Cameron Green (1-38) captured the 23-year-old opener leg before wicket.
Usman Khawaja was named man of the match for his twin centuries — just the third player to achieve the feat at the SCG — in his first match since 2019.
Khawaja, who scored 137 in the first innings, followed up with an unbeaten 101 off 138 balls as part of a 179-run partnership with Green in the second innings.
Bangladesh Premier League: A Look Back at the Past Winners
The Bangladesh Cricket Board was motivated to launch an annual franchise T20 Cricket League after seeing the success of the IPL. The BCB hosted the first edition of the competition in 2012, which included six franchises. The event was an instant success due to the popularity of the format. BPL has been the most-watched domestic tournament since then. Seven BPL tournaments have been held to date. However, BCB was unable to organize some seasons because of covid-19 and other factors. Let’s take a look at the past winners of the Bangladesh Premier League.
BPL: List of Winners
Dhaka's franchise won the inaugural edition of the Bangladesh Premier League in 2012. Since then, Dhaka have won three BPL championships. Cumilla have won the competition twice, and Rangpur and Rajshahi have each won once.
Read Bangladesh National Men's Cricket Team Schedules for 2022
Winners of each season of the BPL T20 cricket league
Season
Winner
Result
Runner-up
2012
Dhaka Gladiators
8 wickets victory for Dhaka
Barisal Burners
2013
Dhaka Gladiators
43 runs victory for Dhaka
Chittagong Kings
2015
Comilla Victorians
3 wickets victory for Comilla
Barisal Bulls
2016
Dhaka Dynamites
56 runs victory for Dhaka
Rajshahi Kings
2017
Rangpur Riders
57 runs victory for Rangpur
Dhaka Dynamites
2019
Comilla Victorians
17 runs victory for Comilla
Dhaka Dynamites
2020
Rajshahi Royals
21 runs victory for Rajshahi
Khulna Tigers
source: www.espncricinfo.com
BPL 1 (Champion: Dhaka Gladiators)
Dhaka Gladiators won the 2012 BPL after defeating Barisal Burners by 8 wickets in the final. Dhaka qualified for the semifinals after finishing third in the group round with ten points. They won five games and lost an equal amount of games in the league stage. Dhaka advanced to the final after defeating Khulna by 9 runs in the semifinals. On the other hand, Barisal Burners defeated Duronto Rajshahi by 8 wickets in the semifinals to advance to the championship match. In the final, Barisal batted first and scored 140/7 in their allocated 20 overs. Dhaka comfortably chased down the target with 4.2 overs to spare, losing only two wickets. Khulna’s Shakib Al Hasan won the player of the tournament.
Read Five Defining Moments of Bangladesh’s Historic Test Victory Over New Zealand
BPL 2 (Champion: Dhaka Gladiators)
Dhaka Gladiators won the 2013 BPL after beating Chittagong Kings by 43 runs in the final. Dhaka qualified for the playoffs by finishing first in the group stage with 18 points. Dhaka proceeded to the final after beating Sylhet by 4 runs in the first qualifier. They faced Chittagong Kings in the final, who defeated Sylhet Royals by 3 wickets in the second qualifier. Dhaka batted first in the final and scored 172/9 in their allotted 20 overs. In the chase, Chittagong were dismissed for 129 runs in 16.5 overs. Shakib Al Hasan of Dhaka was named player of the tournament.
BPL 3 (Champion: Comilla Victorians)
Comilla Victorians won the 2015 BPL after defeating Barisal Bulls by 3 wickets in the final. Comilla earned a spot in the playoffs by finishing first in the group stage. Comilla advanced to the final after defeating Rangpur by 72 runs in the first qualifier. They met Barisal Bulls In the final, who beat Rangpur Riders by 5 wickets in the second qualifier. In the final, Barisal batted first and scored 156/4 in their allocated 20 overs. Comilla reached the target in exactly 20 overs, losing 7 wickets. Comilla's Ashar Zaidi was awarded player of the tournament.
Read BPL 2022: The Favourites, Outsiders and Underdogs
BPL 4 (Champion: Dhaka Dynamites)
Dhaka Dynamites won the BPL 2016 after defeating Rajshahi Kings by 56 runs in the final. Dhaka qualified for the final by defeating Khulna by 54 runs in the first qualifier. In the second qualifier, Rajshahi Kings defeated Khulna Titans by 7 wickets to advance to the final. Dhaka batted first in the final and scored 159/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Rajshahi were all-out for 103 in the replay, and Dhaka won the championship match. Mahmudullah Riyad of Khulna was named Player of the Series.
BPL 5 (Champion: Rangpur Riders)
Rangpur Riders won the BPL for the first time in 2017 after defeating Dhaka Dynamites in the final by 57 runs. Rangpur advanced to the final after winning the playoffs against Khulna and Comilla respectively. On the other hand, Dhaka beat Comilla by 95 runs to reach the final. Rangpur batted first in the final and made 206/1 in their allocated 20 overs. In reply, Dhaka scored 149/9 in 20 overs and lost the match. Rangpur Riders' Chris Gayle was awarded Player of the Series.
Read BPL 2022: Five Promising Young Players to Watch
BPL 6 (Champion: Comilla Victorians)
Comilla Victorians earned their second BPL title in 2019 after overcoming Dhaka Dynamites by 17 runs in the final. In the first qualifier, Comilla defeated Rangpur by 8 wickets to go to the final. Dhaka advanced to the final by defeating Rangpur by 5 wickets in the second qualifier. In the final, Comilla batted first and scored 199/3 in their allocated 20 overs. Dhaka lost the title match after scoring 182/9 in 20 overs. The Player of the Series was Dhaka's Shakib Al Hasan.
BPL 7 (Champion: Rajshahi Royals)
The reigning champions Rajshahi won their first-ever BPL title in 2020 by defeating Khulna Tigers by 21 runs in the final. Rajshahi defeated Chattogram in the second qualifier to advance to the final. On the other hand, Khulna progressed to the final after defeating Rajshahi in the first qualifier, although they were defeated by them in the championship match. Rajshahi won their first title after scoring 170/4 and restricting Khulna to 149/8 in the BPL7 final. The Player of the Series award went to Rajshahi Royals' captain Andre Russell.
Read ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh Team
Bottom Line
According to statistics, Dhaka's franchise is the most successful in the Bangladesh Premier League. They are also one of the league's most consistent teams. However, Dhaka haven't won the tournament in the past three seasons, therefore they will try to win the competition in the next BPL 2021. Besides, Chattogram, Barisal, Khulna, and Sylhet have yet to win the competition. They will also be hoping to win the competition in the upcoming BPL season.
Independence Cup: Central and North Zone off to flying starts
In the first-round matches of the Independence Cup, a 50-over event involving the teams of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), Walton Central Zone and BCB North Zone won their respective matches in Sylhet on Sunday.
Central Zone, who won the longer version edition of BCL this year, beat Islami Bank East Zone by 22 runs in a low-scoring affair at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
East Zone won the toss and sent Central Zone to bat first, who posted 177 all out in 43.2 overs with Mohammad Mithun scoring the highest 37. Along with him, Mizanur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan also did well with the bat posting 36 and 35 respectively.
For East Zone, right-arm pacers Rubel Hossain, and Rejaur Rahman Raja bagged three wickets each while Tanvir Islam took one wicket.
Also read: Pumped-up Tigers aim for monumental series win against Blackcaps
In reply, East Zone tumbled for 155 despite two 30-plus scores by Rony Talukdar and Irfan Sukkur. They managed to set in the middle but failed to carry on. Mohammad Ashraful suffered a duck while Imrul Kayes posted 25 for them.
For Central Zone, Shakib, Hasan Murad and Soumya Sarkar bagged two wickets each while Abu Hider Rony and Mosaddek Hossain took one wicket each.
Also read: Series win against New Zealand to inspire future Tigers: Domingo
In the other match of the day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground, South Zone batted first and scored 162 with a fifty by Towhid Hridoy, and 47 from Pinak Ghosh.
For North Zone, Sunzamul Islam and Shafiqul Islam scalped three wickets each while Naeem Islam bagged two.
In reply, opener Parvez Hossain Emon and Naeem hit a half-century each to guide South Zone to an eight-wicket win. While Parvez fell for 54 off 54 balls, Naeem remained unbeaten for 66.
Latham, Conway come up with thumping response
After losing the first Test to Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand captain Tom Latham and Devon Conway came with a thumping response on day one of the second Test in Christchurch adding 201 runs in the unbeaten second-wicket partnership on Sunday.
While Latham is marching to his double ton, Conway is just one run away from his second century in this series. Riding on their grand effort, at the end of day one, New Zealand were batting at 349 for one in 90 overs.
Bangladeshi bowlers were clearly clueless on day one after winning the toss and opted to bowl first. Hero of Bangladesh’s maiden win against New Zealand, Ebadot Hossain, bowled 21 overs only concede 114 runs at a high economy rate of 5.4.
READ: Pumped-up Tigers aim for monumental series win against Blackcaps
Bangladesh’s only success came through Shoriful Islam when he removed Will Young for 54.
Ebadot managed to convince the umpire twice to raise his finger against Latham, but on both occasions, Latham went for a review and DRS came forward to rescue the hosts’ captain. Bangladesh also missed a chance when Young was put down at seven.
Barring these chances to remove the Kiwi batters, Bangladesh failed to do anything with the ball apart from some outside edges on day one.
After putting to bat first in the wicket with some grass on it, New Zealand made a good start as the openers— Latham and Young— posted 148 runs in the opening stand which was more than enough to let down the Bangladeshi bowling attack which was imperious in the first Test of the series.
Latham’s unbeaten 186 is now the fourth-highest score by a batter in Test in a single day. Nathan Astle topped the list with 222 runs that he notched up against England in 2002 on day four while Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum had scored 209 and 195 against Australia and Sri Lanka in 2015 and 2014 on day three and one respectively.
READ: Series win against New Zealand to inspire future Tigers: Domingo
Wounded from the defeat in the first match, New Zealand took the commanding position of the second Test from the ball one. And Bangladesh are going to have some tough days ahead in this Test.
Bangladesh fielded Mohammad Naim, the debutant, and Nurul Hasan Sohan in this Test to replace injured Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mushfiqur Rahim. While Joy suffered a blow on his right hand that needed three stitches, Mushfiqur is out with a groin injury.
With Mushfiqur being out of the XI, it was the first time in 16 years when Bangladesh was playing a Test without any of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mushfiqur, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad who had long been considered core-member of Bangladesh’s cricket team in all format.
Pumped-up Tigers aim for monumental series win against Blackcaps
With the job half done, Bangladesh are all set to take on New Zealand from Sunday in the second Test of the series aiming to finish the job — to win their first-ever Test series against the Blackcaps.
The Tigers, who had no win in New Zealand despite playing a total of 32 matches across all the formats, won the first Test of the series in Tauranga by eight wickets.
Along with becoming their first-ever win in New Zealand, this win ended the drought of Bangladesh of not winning a Test against any of the top-five Test teams away from home.
Experts said it was one of the best things that Bangladesh have done in their cricketing history, though Masrhafe Bin Mortaza, the former captain of the Tigers is not a big fan of this idea. He rather said ‘not one of the best’, it actually is ‘the best-ever win’ of Bangladesh in cricket regardless of the formats.
Read: Bangladesh National Men's Cricket Team Schedules for 2022
Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan echoed Mashrafe. To him, this win proved those who used to think that Bangladesh is unable to do big things sans the service of the big players wrong. Shakib pointed to the absence of himself and Tamim Iqbal in this series. While Tamim was left out due to an injury, Shakib skipped it citing family reasons.
“Bangladesh’s media fraternity used to say that the Bangladesh team is all about some four-five players, but it is proved wrong now. The young players are also capable of doing big things if they are given adequate chances,” Shakib said recently during a media interaction in Dhaka.
Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo believes the Tigers are pumped-up thanks to the win in the first match, and they are eager to create a new chapter of their history winning the second Test in a tougher condition in Christchurch which will surely offer a wicket with grass on it.
Given the current stats of Bangladesh in the longer format of the sport, one might say it’s a daydream of the Tigers to aim for a series win against New Zealand— the current champions of the ICC World Test Championship. But a win with the contribution from most players of the XI changed the atmosphere of the Bangladesh team.
Series win against New Zealand to inspire future Tigers: Domingo
Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo said a series win against New Zealand will inspire the future generation of Bangladesh cricketers to do well in alien conditions.
He said the win in the first Test was the result of the hard work of the players over the last few months during their tough time.
Bangladesh are all set to take on New Zealand in the second Test on January 9 in Christchurch. The weather in Christchurch is cold and the wicket is also faster than the Tigers had one in Tauranga. So the second Test will be a tough one for the Tigers, believes Doming.
“They now want to do something that no other Bangladesh side has done before and that is to win a series in New Zealand. They are trying to do something very special that can inspire another generation of Bangladeshi cricketers,” Domingo said on Saturday ahead of the second Test.
Also read: Bangladesh Eye Historic Test Series Win in New Zealand
Right-arm fast bowler Ebadot Hossain was the main architect of Bangladesh’s maiden win against New Zealand at their home.
Bangladesh never won an international fixture in New Zealand despite playing 32 matches across formats before the first Test of the ongoing series.
“It’s been a very cool couple of days for the boys. The guys really enjoyed it because they know they had a hard time before in New Zealand. And New Zealand are one of the best sides in the world. You have to play really good cricket to compete with them and beat them. We had a tough few months in all formats,” Domingo added.
Ebadot averaged more than 80 before the first Test in Tauranga. Given his performance in Tests, he was the worst pacer in Bangladesh’s armory. But now, he has become the fast-bowling sensation in Bangladesh, and probably, in the other parts of the cricketing world as well.
Domingo said it was a reward for Ebadot and for the hard work he has done over the last few years.
Also read: Five Defining Moments of Bangladesh’s Historic Test Victory Over New Zealand
Bangladesh are expecting a tougher challenge in Christchurch where they have to negotiate with a faster wicket and challenging condition. But Domingo believes the boys are pumped up to the challenge.
“It’s not often when Bangladeshi pacers can hope for the wicket with some grass on it,” he said. “We have also got some quality bowlers in the squad. We have three high-quality bowlers and they are pretty confident. If we do get early wickets hopefully we can do some damage.”
Along with Ebadot, Taskin Ahmed and Shorfiul Islam have also put their best foot forward in the first match taking three wickets each. Domingo said if they can come up together it will be tough for the hosts to earn an easy win against the confident Tigers.
This series is a part of the ongoing World Test Championship. In the previous cycle of this event, Bangladesh failed to win any match while they also had a bad start to the new cycle when they lost to Pakistan at home. But they bounced back strongly in New Zealand, and for the first time, they are hoping to win a series against the Blackcaps in New Zealand— a rare fate for any Asian team.
Bangladesh Eye Historic Test Series Win in New Zealand
As Bangladesh won the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, history can be repeated in Christchurch. An inexperienced team snatched an unprecedented victory for Bangladesh which has motivated Team Tigers to upset the host Blackcaps in the second Test at the Hagley Oval. Not to mention, the Kiwis will fight heart and soul to level the series by avenging their loss in the opening match. On the other hand, Bangladesh aspire to win their first Test series against New Zealand. Let's have a look at the preview for the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh 2nd Test Match Preview
Some important feats were broken following Bangladesh's historic Test match victory against New Zealand in the series opener. Prior to that win, team Tigers had lost 32 games in all formats against the Blackcaps in New Zealand. Besides, Bangladesh had to wait for 16 matches to beat New Zealand in a Test match for the first time. New Zealand had gone 17 games without losing before facing Bangladesh in the first Test of the ongoing series. It was against South Africa in 2017 that they last lost a home Test series. As a result, they are in danger of losing their first home Test series in five years. Bangladesh will win the series 1-0 if the second Test ends in a draw. The second match will begin at 4 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time) on Sunday.
Read Five Defining Moments of Bangladesh’s Historic Test Victory Over New Zealand
New Zealand
The way in which New Zealand performed in the first Test was upsetting for the team. New Zealand should have won the match despite the fact that the surface was favorable to the batters. However, Bangladesh's fast bowlers were outstanding throughout the match. They bowled New Zealand out twice in the match and clinched a historic victory over them.
The New Zealand campaign must reflect on what went wrong in the first match and try to find a solution in order to rectify their mistakes in the do-or-die second Test.
New Zealand batters Latham, Nicholls, and Ross Taylor failed to motivate the batting unit in the absence of regular leader Kane Williamson. Conway scored a century in the first innings but fell short in the crucial second innings.
Read Bangladesh National Men's Cricket Team Schedules for 2022
In the bowling department, Jamieson, Wagner, and Southee were not in their usual lethal form, which allowed Bangladesh to bat for a long time in the first innings (176.2 overs, their second-highest in away Tests).
The faster bowlers will benefit from the Christchurch pitch, and everyone knows how deadly Kiwi bowlers can be on a green surface. More crucially, New Zealand players have a strong track record in Christchurch, where they dominate the bowling and batting charts. Therefore, New Zealand will be hoping for a great comeback in order to save the series.
Top 3 most wicket-takers at the Hagley Oval (Test)
Player
Match
Wickets
BBI
BBM
Ave
Trent Boult
8
48
6/30
9/107
21.52
Tim Southee
8
39
6/62
8/142
21.56
Neil Wagner
7
25
6/106
7/166
26.48
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Top 3 most run-scorers at the Hagley Oval (Test)
Player
Match
Runs
HS
Ave
100
Tom Latham
8
612
176
43.71
1
Kane Williamson
8
574
238
44.15
1
Henry Nicholls
7
489
162*
54.33
2
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Probable Playing XI
Top Order: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Will Young, Middle-Order: Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell, Lower-Order: Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.
Read BPL 2022: The Favourites, Outsiders and Underdogs
Bangladesh
Bangladesh's young Test team surprised the cricket world with their steady performance in the first Test match against New Zealand. Bangladesh can take a lot of positives away from this encounter. The most vital one is that pace bowlers had shown encouraging bowling displays all throughout the game. Pacer Ebadot Hossain had the worst bowling average prior to this match but he dramatically improved his Test stats with a match-winning bowling performance in the second innings. Taskin Ahmed has improved as a Test bowler, while left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam has demonstrated his bowling potential. In short, pace bowlers were just excellent in the competition.
Newcomer Mahmudul Hasan Joy had displayed great patience with the bat. The batting technique of Nazmul Hossain and Liton Das was flawless. In addition, skipper Mominul Haque played a key role by forming a strong partnership with Liton Das in the first innings. Bangladesh's overall team performance was brilliant.
Bangladesh would be obliged to make one change in the playing XI for the second Test due to Mahmudul Hasan Joy's unexpected injury. Mohammad Naim is most likely to take his position in the final encounter of the series.
Read BPL 2022: Five Promising Young Players to Watch
Probable Playing XI
Top Order: Shadman Islam, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Middle-Order: Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain
What Should be Bangladesh’s Game Strategy
Bangladesh's batters will face even more tough competition in the second Test because of the pace-friendly pitch in Christchurch. However, it would be an ideal pitch for Bangladesh pacers to perform to their full potential in the match. They will have to shoulder most of the responsibility to win the series.
On the other hand, batters must be even more cautious in their approach and batting technique. The Tigers will be able to seize control of the game if they score big in the first innings. Bangladesh may accomplish their goal with adequate planning and commitment.
Read ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh Team
Team-wise Test Records in Christchurch
Team
Match
Won
Lost
Draw
New Zealand
8
6
1
1
Pakistan
2
0
2
0
Sri Lanka
2
0
2
0
Australia
1
1
0
0
England
1
0
0
1
Bangladesh
1
0
1
0
India
1
0
1
0
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Probable Playing XI
Top Order: Shadman Islam, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Middle-Order: Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain.
Read BPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of all Six Teams
New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Head-to-Head Test Stats
Bangladesh and New Zealand have faced each other in 16 matches. Bangladesh won its first-ever Test match against New Zealand in the opening game of the ongoing series in Mount Maunganui. Overall, New Zealand have won 12 games, Bangladesh have won one, and the remaining three games have ended in a draw. Bangladesh will play a Test match in Christchurch for the second time. They played New Zealand in a Test at the Hagley Oval in 2017, which they lost by 9 wickets.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh 2nd Test Match: Pitch Report and Weather Forecast
The Hagley Oval in Christchurch will most likely be a pace-friendly surface. Therefore, batters must remain patient at the crease, as quicker bowlers are likely to get seam movement throughout the game. The weather forecast suggests that the temperature would be a little milder on the first day. The final two days are scheduled to be rainy, but the match is expected to go on to the end. Bangladesh played a match against New Zealand in Christchurch back in 2017 and they lost the encounter by 9 wickets.
Verdict
New Zealand are a tough opponent in Christchurch. Their record against Sub-Continent teams at the Hagley Oval is particularly impressive. Therefore, beating New Zealand on this particular ground will be a huge challenge for Bangladesh. However, this Bangladeshi team is extremely driven right now and believes that they can beat any major Test side in the world. In this regard, the second Test match between New Zealand and Bangladesh is likely to be competitive.
Read NZ vs BAN Test Series 2022: Five Bangladesh Players to keep an eye on
Mashrafe starts bowling but uncertain about BCL 50-over
Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza started practice at Mirpur Thursday ahead of the 50-over edition of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) amid uncertainty about participation.
The 38-year-old pacer played his last competitive cricket match back in December, 2020. He had been out of cricket since due to his political commitments as a member of Bangladesh parliament.
“Just bowled a few deliveries with a short run-up,” Mashrafe told the media, adding that he has been undergoing a rehabilitation programme. “I have been suffering from a bit of back pain. It will take a little time to get rid of it. But I started slowly.”
Also read: BCL Final: Mithun hits maiden double ton
Mashrafe hoped he can start bowling with full run-up by next week.
The veteran bowler will represent Dhaka team in the upcoming edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) starting from January 21.
The former captain praised the Test team for their historic win over New Zealand this week. Masrahfe rated it as the biggest win of Bangladesh in cricket so far.
“I don’t like to say it's ‘one of the best wins’, it’s actually the best win to me,” he said. “New Zealand are the champions of the Test. We don’t have our best players in this series. If you keep these things in mind, it was our best win ever.”
Also read: BCL Cricket: Central Zone require 192 runs against South Zone on final day
According to Masrhafe, Bangladesh’s pace-bowling unit is flourishing slowly in every format of the game. He said what Ebadot Hossain has done in the first Test against New Zealand was a result of his long struggle.
“If you see our T20Is stats, our pacers have done well there. Test was the format where our pacers struggled for a long time unlike T20Is and ODIs. We have to work harder for that. If you look at Taskin (Ahmed), he has started doing well. Ebadot already displayed what he is capable of. And Rahi (Abu Jayed) has been doing well too. We have to believe them more, and it will eventually help them to become even more effective in Tests.”
After winning the first Test by a big margin of eight wickets, which was Bangladesh’s maiden Test win over New Zealand and first by any Asian Team in New Zealand after 2013, Bangladesh are now gearing up for the second Test which will begin in Christchurch on January 9.
BCL Final: Hom guides Central Zone to Home
Despite five of the top six batters returning with single-digit scores, Walton Central Zone chased a target of 218 to win this year’s Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) on Thursday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
They beat BCB South Zone by four wickets riding on the superb fourth-innings hundred by veteran allrounder Shuvagata Hom.
He smashed match-winning 114 under immense pressure. He also had a century in the first innings. Overall, he amassed 230 in the final and expectedly won the player of the match award.
It was the third time Walton Central Zone won the BCL title.
Read: BCL Cricket: Central Zone require 192 runs against South Zone on final day
They won the inaugural edition of the event in the season of 2012-13. South Zone won the next two seasons before Central Zone won it again in the 2015-16 season. North Zone won their first title in the 2016-17 season before South Zone won it three consecutive times afterwards. Now, their winning streak came to an end finally thanks to wonderful batting effort from Shuvagata.
In the way of chasing down the target of 218, Central Zone lost six wickets inside 68 runs. It was just a matter of time for them to capitulate to the South Zone at that stage. But Hom was rigid with the bat. He was too good for South Zone bowlers.
Eventually, Central Zone scored 221 for six in 63.5 overs to seal the match and event.
For South Zone, Mehedi Hasan Rana and Nasum Ahmed bagged two wickets each while Farhad Reza and Kamrul Islam Rabbi took one wicket each.
Earlier, South Zone ended their second innings at 268 thanks to an incredible batting display by Rishad Hossain. The leg-spinner came up with the bat to rescue the team who had lost five for 70. Rishad scored 99— fell short of a single from his maiden First-class century.
Read: BCL: Central Zone and South Zone march to final
Abu Hider Rony scalped five wickets for Central Zone while Hasan Murad, Mukidul Islam, and Soumya Sarkar and Taibur Rahman took one wicket each.
The teams which took part in the BCL longer version will now take on each other in the BCL 50-over from January 9. The event will kick off in Sylhet.