Ebadot takes six as Bangladesh stun New Zealand

Thursday, 6 January 2022 00:49 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

WELLINGTON (REUTERS): Seamer Ebadot Hossain took 6/46 as Bangladesh beat New Zealand for the first time in a test match with their 16th attempt with a stunning eight-wicket victory over the World test champions on Wednesday.

The victory at Mount Maunganui was among the biggest shocks in the history of test cricket as one of the poorest performers in the longest format of the game snapped New Zealand’s 17-match unbeaten streak on home soil.

While New Zealand had beaten all-comers at home since their last loss to South Africa in March 2017, Bangladesh had lost all 21 of their matches in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England since they started playing test cricket in 2000.

Ebadot, a former volleyball player, who had taken 11 wickets in his 10 previous tests, led the way as the tourists dismissed the ‘Black Caps’ for 169 early on day five to leave them requiring 40 runs for a famous victory.

After losing both openers in the chase, it was left to Captain Mominul Haque and experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim to usher Bangladesh to their first victory outside Asia.

A small band of flag-waving Bangladeshis on the Bay Oval boundary celebrated their country’s first win in any format of the game in New Zealand, a victory that gave them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

“I can’t describe it, it’s unbelievable,” Mominul said.

“I couldn’t sleep yesterday because of the pressure. It was very important to win this test match. I said previously that we need to win these test matches for our legacy.”

New Zealand had resumed on 147/5 with a slender lead of 17 hoping to bat out the day but were quickly on the back foot when Ebadot clean-bowled Ross Taylor for 40 and removed Kyle Jamieson for a duck in his first two overs.

Taskin Ahmed (3/36) chipped in with his second wicket in the fifth over of the morning when he had all-rounder Rachin Ravindra caught behind for 16.

Tim Southee had his middle stump removed in Taskin’s next over and Trent Boult departed for eight when he holed out in the deep to end the innings.

Shadman Islam scored the first runs of the chase but was caught behind for three before his fellow opener Najmul Hossain Shanto departed for 17 with victory in sight.

Mominul, who scored 13*, and Rahim resisted one of the world’s finest seam attacks to get across the line, the latter scoring the winning runs with a boundary through backward point.

Bangladesh had lost all nine of their previous tests in New Zealand but were put into a winning position on day four when four of their top six batsmen struck fifties to earn them a first-innings lead of 130.

Man of the Match Ebadot drove home the advantage with a match-changing late spell in which he removed three batsmen at the cost of no runs soon after New Zealand had wiped out the deficit.

New Zealand, winners of the inaugural World Test Championship after beating India last year, are without regular skipper Kane Williamson for the series because of an elbow injury but were still expected to comfortably beat a young Bangladesh side.

“It was obviously a disappointing performance, we weren’t at our best,” said stand-in Captain Tom Latham. “Full respect to (Bangladesh), they certainly outplayed us throughout the five days.” The second match starts in Christchurch on Sunday.