BAN vs NZ

That brings us to the end of our coverage for this evenly contested Test series. Bangladesh were the deserved winners in the first Test at Sylhet but New Zealand has come back strongly here to level the series. They were tested each and every session of the series and the 1-1 scoreline is a fair indication of how things panned out in the series. Najmul Hossain Shanto showed some good captaincy skills in the two matches while Tim Southee was cool as a cucumber. Like always, it was a pleasure bringing all the live coverage and updates from this encounter. Till the next time, this is me (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) signing off also on behalf of my fellow commentator and good mate Lavil Saldanha. 

Tim Southee (New Zealand captain): Yeah, it was a bit of a scrap there and nice to come out on the right side of it. I think the guys trusted the way they played. Phillips and Santner played aggressively and that was different to the plans by other batters. It was only a matter of time when some ball would have your name on that. The innings of Glenn Phillips in the first innings kept us in the game. It's not easy when expectations are there of things happening quickly. The bowlers stuck to their plans and got their reward. It is always nice when you win. Show the fight and put in a performance like this.  

Taijul Islam is the Player of the Series, here is what he had to say: Yes ofcourse, chances like this don't come everyday but our players gave their 100n percent so I am happy in that regard. The fact is that we could have bowled a bit better under helpful conditions. Personally very happy but would have been happier had we won the series. (Translated from bangla)

Glenn Phillips is the player of the match for his performances with the bat and ball. Here's what he has to say: At the end of the day, the lead of 8 runs mattered a lot. We took pride in ourselves and it paid off. Our spinners did well, it was great to create a lot of pressure and we put some pressure on Bangladesh while chasing 138. I wanted to stick to my plans as usual and shift the bowler off his rhythm. The intent with which Santner and Mitchell's batter helped and credit to them and all the boys as well.

Najmul Hasan Shanto (Bangladesh Captain): The bowlers did a great job, the four bowlers bowled very well and I'm proud of the effort put in by everyone on the field. I think we played good cricket in the first match and grabbed our opportunities. We will take some lessons from this game and learn from it. The players are ready for the next tour, and hoping that everyone plays some good cricket there.

New Zealand won by 4 wickets

Glenn Phillips 40* | Mitchell Santner 35*
Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3/52 | Taijul Islam 2/58

The partnership between Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner proved to be the decisive one for New Zealand as they stitched together a run stand to take the visitors home to level the series 1-1. When the post tea session started, things were in favor of Bangladesh but the positive approach of Santner and Phillips made sure that New Zealand reached the target without any more hiccups. They looked dead and buried at one stage but they managed to level the series on a pitch which was a spinning paradise and batting became increasingly difficult as the game went on. The day started with Bangladesh in a tricky situation. The score read 38/2, with a lead of 30 runs. 

It was the duo of Mominul Haque and Zakir who started the day's play. The pitch conditions continued to favor the spinners but the first hour was played sensibly by both southpaws. Zakir Hasan in particular looked in complete control and also took his chances when the ball was in his arc. Mominul was struck plumb in front by Ajaz Patel and that triggered a collapse in the Bangladesh middle order. Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz was dismissed in quick intervals as New Zealand seemed to all over Bangladesh. However, Zakir continued the hard toil at one end, scoring some vital runs for Bangladesh. Some useful contributions from Taijul Islam eventually propelled Bangladesh to score of 144 in their second innings. 

New Zealand looked the favorites after being a set a target of 137 but it was always going to be a tall order given the complexity of the pitch. The ball kept turning viciously as New Zealand lost their way in the beginning of the run chase. Devon Conway was dismissed by a superb delivery by Shoriful Islam before Taijul Islam enticed Kane Williamson forward and had him stumped with a peach of a delivery. Henry Nicholls and Tom Latham were casualties against spin as Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul wreaked havoc in the middle. Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell also departed cheaply as New Zealand were reduced to 69/6. Phillips and Santner wasn't bogged down by the situation and continued playing their shots which put the pressure back on the Bangladesh camp. They didn't spare any loose deliveries and took on the bowlers whenever they felt that a boundary was needed. Eventually, some sensible batting coupled with aggression got them over the finish line. 

It was a brave decision by the Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to bat first on a difficult Mirpur wicket and the signs were evident right from Day 1. None of the top order Bangladesh batters could make an impact as the spin trio of Ajaz Patel-Mitchell Santner-Glenn Phillips spun a web around the Bangladesh batters, bagging 9 wickets between them. The pitch was turning square and even the home batters didn't have much idea how to counter the top class spinners. Some useful contributions of 30 odds from Mushfiqur Rahim and Shahadat Hossain eventually took Bangladesh to a score of 172.  The Bangladesh bowlers knew that on a pitch where their batters struggled, they had the opportunity to return the favor and they did that brilliantly. 

Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled brilliantly in the twilight on Day 1 and the Kiwis were reduced to 55/5 at the end of the opening day's play. The second day was washed out due to persistent rain and even Day 3 was troubled by bad weather. New Zealand looked down and out but that is when Glenn Phillips played a stupendous knock and took the Bangladesh bowlers by the scruff of the neck. It was an exceptional counter-attacking knock of 87 which came in just 72 deliveries which included 9 fours and 4 sixes. It was his knock doubled with useful lower-order contributions from Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee which helped them take an 8-run first innings lead. Bangladesh batters came out with some intent but lost the wickets of Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Najmul Shanto in quick succession before stumps were called early on Day 3 due to bad light. 

New Zealand have secured an inspired victory against Bangladesh under trying conditions. Phillips batted superbly all through the match and remains the only batter to score 20+ runs in both innings. The partnership between Santner and Phillips has ensured that they level the series and open their account in the ICC World Test Championship table. A well-deserved win for New Zealand, they deserve all the respect for the way they have played in the series. They were a team of character, every run counted today, working hard for each run on a tough Mirpur wicket and in the end, a four-wicket victory to end the series on a high. 

39.4 Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Glenn Phillips, FOUR! NEW ZEALAND WIN THE MATCH! Back of a length delivery outside the off stump, Phillips hits that one in the vacant extra cover region for a boundary to seal this match. A roar from the man of the moment as he finishes the game for his team. New Zealand win the match by 4 wickets and level the 2 match test series 1-1

39.3 Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Mitchell Santner, length delivery on the line of the off stump. Santner pushes that one down the ground and picks up a single

39.2 Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Mitchell Santner, FOUR! NEW ZEALAND INCH CLOSER TO THE WIN! Full length delivery outside the off stump, Santner goes inside outs and drives it towards the deep extra cover boundary for a four. New Zealand need only 3 runs to win now

New Zealand milking some easy runs as the Bangladesh shoulders have started to drop. Phillips and Santner has taken the responsibility with both hands and have taken New Zealand within 7 runs of winning the match. 

38.6 Mominul Haque to Mitchell Santner, back of a length delivery on the off stump. Santner gets on his backfoot and pushes that one towards deep backward point for a single to end the over

38.5 Mominul Haque to Glenn Phillips, full length delivery on the off stump. Phillips pushes that one down the ground to mid-off for a single

38.4 Mominul Haque to Mitchell Santner, length delivery on the middle and off stump. Santner pushes that one down the ground towards long on for a single

38.2 Mominul Haque to Glenn Phillips, length delivery on the line of the off stump. Phillips pushes that one back to the bowler, who parries it towards extra cover and allows the pair to steal a single