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[Saba Sports News] Bangladesh secured a landmark victory against New Zealand in the first Test, led by an outstanding bowling performance in the fourth innings. The team dominated Tim Southee’s New Zealand side, with the Kiwis struggling to establish partnerships. Taijul Islam’s remarkable bowling in both innings played a key role in Bangladesh’s 160-run win.
Reflecting on the defeat, Southee pointed out New Zealand’s inability to maintain consistent pressure as a crucial factor in their loss. He acknowledged the precision of the Bangladesh bowlers and noted the challenging conditions unfamiliar to many of the Kiwi batters. Southee also praised Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto for his crucial century in the second innings, alongside significant contributions from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, helping Bangladesh set a formidable target of 338 runs.
Southee, quoted by ESPNcricinfo, emphasized the need for partnerships and commended the Bangladesh bowlers for their accuracy and effectiveness in conditions that grew increasingly difficult for batting.
He defended his team, expressing hope to learn from this experience and improve in the upcoming final Test starting on December 6. Southee also dismissed the notion that fatigue from the ODI World Cup played a role in their performance, citing the infusion of fresh players into the team.
“You look at the way that the Bangladesh bowlers were able to apply pressure for a long period of time. I think we did it in periods, but we probably didn’t do it for long enough. You are always looking at partnerships as a batting unit. I think Shanto played a great innings. It was obviously a very timely one as well, given the situation of the game.”
“I think the Bangladesh bowlers bowled well, and very accurate, and in the way they bowl and the style they bowl, we know that in this part of the world, it tends to get harder to bat as the Test moves on. It tends to take a little bit more turn and a little bit more variable bounce. You just need a couple of partnerships,” Southee shared.