Test cricket
Taijul bags three as Bangladesh put some pressure back on hosts
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who was overlooked in the first Test of the ongoing two-match series against South Africa, bagged three wickets in the second Test so far. Bangladesh’s persistence was rewarded with two late wickets as South Africa went to stumps on 278 for 5 on the opening day of the second and final Test on Friday.
Three South African batters made half-centuries after the home team chose to bat first at St. George’s Park, but none of them went on to a big score and Bangladesh took something from the day by removing Ryan Rickelton (42) and Temba Bavuma (67) in the space of three overs just before stumps of day one.
Bavuma was the third South African to pass 50 after captain Dean Elgar provided a solid start with his 70 and No. 3 Keegan Petersen made 64.
But Bangladesh found success through left-arm spinner Taijul, who was called into the team following a 220-run defeat in the series-opener. Taijul claimed the crucial wickets of Elgar, Petersen and Rickelton for his 3 conceding 77.
Read: South Africa 199-3 vs. Bangladesh after Elgar, Petersen 50s
South Africa has the advantage as it seeks to seal a series victory, but not by much.
Elgar hit 10 fours in his third half-century in three innings this series and South Africa made an imposing start by putting together four half-century stands for its first four wickets.
Bavuma and Rickelton combined for the last and best of those, a stand of 83 that looked to be taking South Africa to a position of clear dominance. Their late dismissals gave the day a different complexion as South Africa went from 267 for three to its 278 for five.
Rickelton was in sight of his first Test half-century in just his second Test when he tried to reverse sweep a delivery from Taijul. He had pulled the shot off successfully earlier in his innings but this time he missed, the ball clipped the wristband of his glove and looped to Yasir Ali at slip.
Bangladesh asked for a TV review after it was initially given not out and was rewarded.
Bavuma went soon after to a low catch at first slip, giving seamer Khaled Ahmed his second wicket of the day.
It also meant the wait for a second Test century for Bavuma continued. His 67 was his 19th Test half-century but he is yet to add to his one and only hundred, which he made six years ago. He was out for 93 in the first Test.
Read: SA vs BAN 2022: Bangladesh Aspire to Level the Test Series with Fresh Strategy
South Africa leads the series 1-0 after its big win in Durban, where Bangladesh had looked competitive at times but collapsed to 53 all out on the final day. Bangladesh made two changes for the second Test, bringing back opening batsman Tamim Iqbal and giving Taijul his chance.
South Africa retained the same lineup and continued without a number of its top players, who have opted out of the short series to appear in the Indian Premier League.
South Africa win 1st test as Bangladesh all out for 53
South Africa raced to a 220-run victory in the first test after Bangladesh’s collapse to 53 all out on the morning of the final day on Monday.
Bangladesh lasted only 19 overs in its second innings and South Africa needed only two bowlers to roll the tourists out.
Read: Taskin, Shoriful out of 2nd South Africa Test
They were both spinners, with left-armer Keshav Maharaj collecting 7-32 and offspinner Simon Harmer 3-21.
It was a surprisingly sudden end to the match after Bangladesh had hopes of possibly pulling off its first test victory over South Africa by needing 274 runs in the final innings.
But the tourists slumped to 11-3 at the close of play on Day 4 and the wickets continued to tumble dramatically on the morning of Day 5.
Read: Australia Clinch ICC Women's World Cup 2022: Alyssa Healy Sets New Record
Najmul Hossain Shanto (26) and tailender Taskin Ahmed (14) were the only Bangladesh batters to reach double figures and South Africa needed less than an hour of play on Monday to take those remaining seven wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the two-test series.
Bangladesh 298 all out, South Africa lead by 75 in 1st Test
South Africa bowled Bangladesh out for 298 in its first innings despite opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s 137, giving the Proteas a clear lead in the opening test on Saturday.
South Africa took that advantage to 75 runs on the third day by reaching 6-0 in its second innings by stumps, which was forced by bad light and then rain.
South Africa made 367 in its first innings after being put in to bat at Kingsmead in Durban.
Read: Magnificent Mahmudul hits ton against South Africa
Bangladesh was 98-4 overnight in reply and slumped to 101-5 in the third over of the day when nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed fell for 1.
But Mahmudul celebrated his first test century in the afternoon session and eventually hit 15 fours and two sixes before he was the last man out.
He was pivotal to Bangladesh’s score, sharing an 82-run stand with Litton Das (41) for the sixth wicket and then a partnership of 51 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29) for the eighth wicket.
Mahmudul cleverly shepherded the tailenders and 197 of Bangladesh’s runs came from the last five wickets.
Read: Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
Debutant Lizaad Williams collected his first test wickets to finish with 3-54 for South Africa. His haul included the wicket of Mahmudul, who was finally beaten when he edged to Simon Harmer at slip to end the Bangladesh innings.
Despite Mahmudul’s knock, South Africa had clear control of the match by way of a 69-run first-innings lead.
South Africa openers Dean Elgar (3 not out) and Sarel Erwee (3 not out) extended that lead by six runs and avoided any late blows as the light faded in Durban.
Bangladesh lose quick wickets to end Day 2 in Durban
Left-arm spinner Simon Harmer grabbed four top-order Bangladesh wickets to put South Africa in dominance on the second day of the first Test in Durban.
Bangladesh ended day two at 98 for four wickets in their first innings with opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy unbeaten on 44, along with nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed yet to open his account.
The visitors are trailing by 269 runs with six wickets in hand after bowling the hosts out for 367 in the first innings.
After a cautious start, Bangladesh lost three quick wickets in the last session of day two.
Simon Harmer, the left-arm spinner bagged four wickets conceding 42 runs in 20 overs.
Bangladesh scored 25 in the first wicket stand. After Shadman Islam fell for 9, Mahmudul and Najmul Hossain added 55 runs on the board.
From 80 for one wicket Bangladesh suffered a mini-collapse when they lost three wickets to reach 94 runs.
Najmul scored 38, Mominul Haque suffered a duck and Mushfiuqr Rahim added 7 only.
Earlier, Khaled Ahmed took four wickets for 92 to help Bangladesh restrict South Africa to 367 runs.
Read: Pakistan level ODI series with 6-wicket win over Australia
This was also the best bowling by any Bangladeshi pacer on the soil of South Africa. He surpassed Subashis Roy’s 3/118 in 2017.
South Africa began the second day with 233 for four. They added 134 runs more in their first innings losing the remaining wickets.
Khaled bagged the first two wickets of the second day removing wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder. While Verreynne posted 28 off 81 balls, Mulder suffered a duck.
Temba Bavuma, however, was firm at the other end of the wicket until Mehidy Hasan removed him for 93 off 190 deliveries.
In the last two partnerships, South Africa added 69 runs that helped them pass the 350-run mark.
Simon Harmer, the all-rounder, remained unbeaten for 38 off 73 balls.
Right-arm spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped three wickets for Bangladesh while Ebadot Hossain bagged two.
Bangladesh are missing the services of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in this match. While Shakib is out of the team due to family reasons, Tamim missed this Test due to illness.
Elgar, Bavuma hit fifties as South Africa post 233/4 on day 1
South African captain Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma hit a fifty each on day one of the Durban Test against Bangladesh on Thursday.
At stumps, the hosts cruised to 233 losing four wickets with Bavuma remaining unbeaten for 53.
Bangladesh have won the toss and opted to bowl first. They failed to impress with the ball in the first session of the day.
The hosts took advantage of the poor bowling display by the visitors.
In the second session, Bangladesh managed to take three wickets and it was the best session for the visitors so far.
In the first wicket stand, Elgar and Sarel Erwee added 113 runs. Right-arm pacer Khaled Ahmed broke the stand taking the wicket of Elgar during the 33 over.
Read: Bangladesh bowl first against South Africa in first Test
The other two wickets were taken by Ebadot Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The hosts lost a wicket trapped in a run-out by a good effort from Mehidy.
The play of the first day was called off early due to the bad light on the ground. The match was also delayed to start due to a malfunction at the sightscreen.
Ahead of this series, Bangladesh faced South Africa in 12 matches and failed to win any of them. But in this tour of South Africa, Bangladesh already won the ODI series, and they are charged up to do something memorable in the Test series too.
But the Tigers are not getting the service of two of their mainstays— Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. While Shakib is out for some personal reason, Tamim failed to make it to the playing XI due to stomachache.
The second Test of the series will take place at Port Elizabeth on April 8.
Bangladesh Cricket Captains: Performance Review for the Year 2021
Bangladesh played 46 international matches in the year 2021. They won 20 matches, lost 25, and drew one match. Bangladesh have three captains for each format, that had resulted in a variance of outcomes. ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal had the best % winning ratio among the captains, indicating that Bangladesh are a strong limited-overs team. Team tigers won the majority of international matches under T20 captain Mahmudullah's leadership, while Mominul was the most unsuccessful captain. Let's take a look at three captains' performances in 2021.
2021 International Record: Bangladesh National Men’s Cricket Team
The Bangladesh national men's cricket team had a packed calendar in the year 2021. Team Tigers played most of their international matches in the twenty20 format. As a result, they won the bulk of their matches in the shortest format. The majority of their losses also came in the T20 format, as predicted. Bangladesh won two of their historic T20 series under the captaincy of Mahmudullah Riyad, but he also had the most defeats as captain. ODI captain Tamim Iqbal did not play any international matches in the second half of the year, but he had a better winning ratio than the other two. Mominul Haque continued to struggle as Test captain in the year 2021.
Here is the format-wise Bangladesh’s international record in 2021
Format
Matches
Won
Lost
Draw
Test
7
1
5
1
ODI
12
8
4
0
T20I
27
11
16
0
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Captains' Performance Review for the Year 2021
Bangladesh began their 2021 international campaign with a three-match One-Day International series against the West Indies at home. Team Tigers thrashed the Caribbean side in that series. However, Bangladesh's year came to an end with a 2-0 Test series loss to Pakistan at home. The following is a breakdown of each Bangladesh captain's performance.
Mominul Haque (Test)
Match as Captain: 7 | Won: 1 | Lost: 5 | Draw: 1
Left-hand batter Mominul Haque is still learning the art of captaincy and will require more time to adjust as a leader. Mominul recently guided Bangladesh to a historic Test match victory in New Zealand. Winning a match in New Zealand is a huge accomplishment for Mominul and the Bangladesh Test team. However, the Mominul-led Bangladesh Test team did not do well in 2021. Team Tigers won their lone Test match away from home, against Zimbabwe in July.
Bangladesh lost the remainder of their longer-version matches last year, aside from their lone Test victory. Bangladesh lost both of their Test series against Pakistan and the West Indies. Bangladesh put up a valiant fight against the West Indies but came up short in both matches. Besides, the performance against Pakistan was subpar. Pakistan dominated both matches and deservedly won each Test match by a big margin. Bangladesh's campaign hoped for a stronger showing against Sri Lanka, however, the Lankans also won the series 1-0. Overall, Mominul had a difficult year as captain last year.
Mominul Haque Test Stats in 2021
Match
Runs
HS
Ave
100s
7
503
127
41.91
2
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Tamim Iqbal (ODI)
Match as Captain: 12 | Won: 8 | Lost: 4
A second-string West Indian squad visited Bangladesh at the beginning of 2021. Tamim Iqbal-led Bangladesh team thrashed that West Indian side 3-0 in the series. Though this type of outcome was predicted from Bangladesh. The New Zealand tour was Tamim Iqbal's toughest challenge as captain last year. As predicted, Bangladesh lost the ODI series (3-0) to New Zealand. They came close to winning in the second encounter in Christchurch but fell short against the Kiwis. Bangladesh went on to win two more ODI series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Tamim did a decent job as captain overall but all of Bangladesh's ODI victories in 2021 were predicted. Everyone would have applauded Tamim if his side had won a match on New Zealand soil.
Tamim Iqbal ODI Stats in 2021
Match
Runs
HS
Ave
100s
12
464
112
38.66
1
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Mahmudullah Riyad (T20I)
Match as Captain: 27 | Won: 11 | Lost: 16
Bangladesh lost their first and last T20I series of the year 2021 against New Zealand and Pakistan respectively. However, the captain of the Twenty20 team Mahmudullah Riyad was strongly criticized following his performance in the T20 World Cup 2021. Bangladesh did not win a match in the Super 12s, but more importantly, they lost a match against Scotland in the qualifiers. Fans were disappointed by Bangladesh's overall performance at the mega event.
Prior to the twenty20 World Cup 2021, Bangladesh had won two major home series against Australia and New Zealand, respectively. Many argue that winning two home series on slow pitches sent the wrong message to Bangladeshi players. As a result, Bangladeshi cricketers did not reach their full potential during the mega event. Another T20 series triumph for Bangladesh came against Zimbabwe in July. Overall, the team had made little progress in this format despite the fact that the Mahmudullah-led side won a record 11 T20 matches for Bangladesh in 2021.
Mahmudullah Riyad T20I Stats in 2021
Batting
Match
Runs
HS
SR
50s
26
496
52
105.30
2
Bowling
Match
Wickets
BBI
Ave
Econ
26
5
3/10
26.20
6.89
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Aftermath
None of the Bangladesh captains had shown much progress in terms of pushing the team to the next level last year. They all enjoyed some success as captains. but that was to be anticipated from the Bangladesh side. Winning two bilateral home series against Australia and New Zealand were two of the most noteworthy achievements in 2021, and T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad deserves credit for both.
We had one goal— to beat New Zealand at their home: Ebadot
After beating New Zealand at their home as the first Asian team in the last decade, Bangladesh’s match-winner, Ebadot Hossain, said it was their goal right from the beginning of the series.
“We had one goal after arriving in New Zealand— to beat them in their soil,” Ebadot told in the post-match interview. “We have played many matches in New Zealand, but we could not get even a single win. So in this outing, we wanted to break the ice ceiling. I hope the future generation will inspire by this win.”
Raed:Roaring Tigers Script Groundbreaking History in New Zealand
In the second innings of New Zealand, Ebadot bagged six wickets conceding 46 runs— the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi pacer in away Tests. It was the first five-wicket haul for a Bangladeshi pacer after Rabiul Islam who registered a fifer in 2013.
Mominul Haque and his team completed the victory when most Bangladeshis were asleep in winter morning. But the warmth of victory swamped in before the sun rose in the Bengal delta.
Mushfiqur Rahim cut Kyle Jamieson for a four through the square region to complete the victory. Being the most experienced campaigner of the team, Mushfiqur was fittingly played the victory shot while other big guns were out of the setup due to different reasons.
Along with Ebadot, young players like Shorfiul Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy have also played important roles in Bangladesh’s historic win. Before this match, Bangladesh played a total of 32 matches in New Zealand across the format.
Read:Tigers script history by registering first Test win against Kiwis in NZ
Pace-bowlers are like second-class citizens in the Bangladesh team when they play at home. But whenever they tour abroad, the pacers are bound to take the extra burden, but they often fail to deliver due to lack of longer version cricket in suitable conditions.
“The conditions are too flat in Bangladesh and we are still learning how to bowl away from home,” Ebadot added mentioning that the bowling coach Ottis Gibson is guiding them with proper care, and he believes the good days are coming.
Another pacer Taskin Ahmed said the win is the result of a process that they followed carefully. He said: “We did not think much about the result. We just wanted to play according to our plan. We give our 110 percent to do well.”
Bangladesh hold firm after imperious batting display
Bangladesh team probably enjoyed the best two days of their Test cricket in New Zealand so far.
The initial success came up when they removed the last five New Zealand batters within 70 runs on top of their day one total and restricted them under 350. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Shoriful Islam proved their capibilty once again.
And now, they batted more than 150 overs and scored more than 400 runs and they are yet to be all out!
Read:Bangladesh takes lead after Mominul, Liton heroics
At the end of day three of the first Test against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, Bangladesh are leading by 73 runs with four wickets in hand— a rare success Bangladesh team is going through on the soil of New Zealand.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque and Liton Das— all had a good chance to register their maiden century in New Zealand, but they fell short. Despite that agony, Bangladesh are far ahead of the hosts in this Test, at least, at this stage.
Mominul and Liton added 158 runs in the fifth wicket stand. The stand was broken when Mominul fell for 88— short of 12 runs of his second Test century abroad. His first away ton came against Sri Lanka last year.
Bangladesh ended day two at 175 for two with Joy and Mominul remaining unbeaten for 70 and eight respectively.
Joy fell for 78 after adding only eight to his overnight total while Mominul remained firm at the other end of the wicket.
It was Joy’s maiden fifty in Test cricket. Before this match, he played only one Test. The 21-year-old batter was one of the best in the world during his U-19 cricketing days. He had a century in the last U-19 World Cup that Bangladesh won beating India in the final.
Mushfiqur Rahim failed to impress as he fell for 12 off 53 balls.
Read:Shanto, Joy hit fifties as Bangladesh reply strongly
In the next wicket stand, Liton joined Mominul and made New Zealand bowlers toil. Mominul registered his 15th fifty in Test, and right after that, Liton recorded his 11th fifty in the format.
After Mominul, Trent Boult also removed Liton for 86. One ball earlier of his dismissal, Liton survived a caught-behind appeal from New Zealand, but eventually, he fell prey to the same kind of dismissal.
The onus was on Yasir Ali and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to survive the day playing all the remaining overs, and they successfully did that. This pair batted more than 10 overs and survived the day ensuring a 73-run first innings lead.
New Zealand bowlers tried everything they could. They posed many tough questions they possibly could, and to utter surprise for many, the Bangladeshi batters managed to answer.
They managed to tackle pace-swingings and bouncers from Tim Southee, Boult and Neil Wagner. Wagner came up with his typical strength full with short-balls. But Bangladeshi batters were smart enough to play him despite giving him three wickets. Along with Wagner, Boult bagged three wickets too.
With two days to go in this Test, Bangladesh are clearly ahead of the hosts, but they have to work harder in the remaining six sessions to get the best result against New Zealand.
New Zealand lose control of the 2nd Test despite Ajaz's superb 10-wicket haul
On Saturday (December 4), an Indian-born New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel became only the third bowler in history to capture ten wickets in a single innings. Indian batting orders were shattered by his incredible bowling, and they were bowled out for 325 runs in their first innings. New Zealand were bowled out for 62 runs in response, their lowest-ever total against India in Tests. India have complete control of the contest after bowling New Zealand out for a low total. Let's have a look at the current match scenario of the IND vs NZ 2nd Test 2021.
Match Scenario: IND vs NZ 2nd Test 2021
India's decision to bat first on a slow-turning wicket at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium paid off well for the hosts despite all the attention focused on Kiwi spinner Ajaz Patel. Because getting over 300 runs at the Wankhede is a good performance, and India scored 325 runs in their first innings.
The match's first day finished with a controversial Ibw wicket of Indian captain Virat Kohli. As per the TV reply, the ball touched the bat before hitting Virat Kohli's front pad. However, the umpire ruled it in favor of the fielding side, and Virat returned to the pavilion with a duck. He has failed to score a century in any format since the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in 2019. India scored 221 for the loss of four wickets on day one.
Read Dhaka Test: Persistent rain ends “nearly” cricketless 2nd day
India came into bat on day 2 with the aim of scoring more than 300 runs, which they achieved. On the other hand, Ajaz Patel made the headlines by taking all of India's wickets. Ajaz's final bowling stats was 47.5-12-119-10. Overall, he had five catch-out wickets, three Ibws, and two were bowled outs.
In 1988, Ajaz Patel was born in Mumbai, India. He moved to New Zealand with his family in 1996. The promising left-arm spinner had to wait a long time to make his full international debut for New Zealand. In 2018, he made his international debut for the Blackcaps against Pakistan, becoming the fifth Indian-origin player to play for the Kiwis.
Ajaz is primarily regarded as a key asset for New Zealand in the Test format, having taken 29 wickets in ten games before this Test. In sub-continent conditions, he is a very effective bowler.
Read Dhaka Test: Play of day two delayed by rain
In the first innings, the New Zealand campaign was anticipated to gain a big lead. However, an impressive Indian bowling attack knocked New Zealand out for only 62 runs. This was the lowest total ever in an India-New Zealand Test match.
Off-spinner Ravi Ashwin was outstanding with the ball, taking four wickets for only eight runs. Pacer Mohammad Siraj claimed three wickets, while Axar Patel took two. The only two New Zealand batsmen to reach double digits in the innings were Tom Latham and Kyle Jamieson.
India scored 69 runs on day two without losing a wicket. They now have a 332-run lead. India are clearly the favorite to win the match unless New Zealand perform brilliantly in their second innings.
Read India in control vs NZ despite Ajaz Patel's historic feat
Test bowlers with the most wickets in an innings
Only Jim Laker of England and Anil Kumble of India had taken ten wickets in an innings before Ajaz Patel. Jim Laker became the first cricketer to take ten wickets in an innings in 1956 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Laker took 9 wickets in the first innings and 10 wickets in the second innings in the match. In both innings, his bowling stats were 9/37 and 10/53. England had taken a 2-1 lead in the Ashes series after winning by an innings and 170 runs.
The cricket world had to wait more than four decades to see another bowler take ten wickets in one innings. India's Anil Kumble, rose to the occasion against arch-rivals Pakistan in Delhi. Leg-spinner Kumble's superb bowling helped India knock Pakistan out for 207 runs in the second innings. India won by 212 runs and leveled the series at 1-1. Kumble's bowling figure was 10/74 in 26.3 overs in the second innings.
Read Shakib writes to BCB to skip NZ tour
Top five best bowling figures in an innings (Test)
Player
BBI
Opposition
Ground
Jim Laker
10/53
Australia
Manchester
Anil Kumble
10/74
Pakistan
Delhi
Axar Patel
10/119
India
Mumbai
George Lohmann
9/28
South Africa
Johannesburg
Jim Laker
9/37
Australia
Manchester
Bottom Line
Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel will remember this match forever. However, given the present state of the game, New Zealand will most likely lose the match. India's campaign is under less pressure after taking a 250-plus run lead in the first innings. It will be a humiliating circumstance for Ajaz Patel if his team loses this match. Therefore, New Zealand will need to bat very well in the second innings of the IND vs NZ 2nd Test 2021 in order for a possible record run-chase.
Read Ajaz Patel became 3rd cricketer to take 10-wicket in a Test innings
Agarwal takes India to 111-3 at tea on Day 1 vs. New Zealand
Mayank Agarwal scored a half century to drag India to 111-3 at tea on day one of the second test against New Zealand on Friday.
Agarwal reached 52 not out after Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli fell for ducks.
Ajaz Patel took 3-30 in 15 overs to leave India railing at 80-3 at one stage.
Read: West Indies leading Sri Lanka despite Mendis’ 6 wickets
Agarwal scored a brisk half-century once play began after the morning session was washed out due to a wet outfield. He faced 121 balls, and hit six fours as well as two sixes. It was his best knock since March 2020, when he had scored 58 against the Black Caps in Wellington.
Shreyas Iyer was unbeaten on 7 runs.
Agarwal and Shubman Gill (44) put on a solid opening stand and added 80 runs in 27.3 overs.
Gill was the first to go, edging Patel to slip. The left-arm spinner then triggered a mini-collapse.
Read:Dhaka Test: Tigers set to take on Pakistan Saturday, hope to draw the series
Pujara was bowled while charging the spinner after just five deliveries. Kohli, returning to the side after resting during the Kanpur test, lasted four deliveries. He was out lbw to Patel as India lost three wickets in the space of 16 balls.
Test cricket returned to the Wankhede Stadium after a gap of five years when India last played against England in 2016.