Bangladesh vs New Zealand: Phillips' four-wicket haul restricts hosts to 310/9 after Mahmudul's 86 in first Test

Sylhet: Off-spinner Glenn Phillips claimed 4-37 in only his second match as New Zealand reduced Bangladesh to 310-9 on day one of the opening Test on Tuesday. Phillips’ haul helped the visitors gain an edge after Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first on a pitch ideal for batting. Bangladesh made a good start with opener Mahmudul Hasan playing serenely to put the side in the driving seat in the first session but his teammates’ rash shots undermined his effort. Mahmudul made a team-best 86 off 166 balls with 11 boundaries. “Our plan was to charge Phillips because he is an occasional bowler,” Mahmudul said. “We thought if we don’t charge him, he might put pressure on us which could give their main bowlers a chance to tighten the grip. But unfortunately we got out playing bad shots.” Mahmudul shared stands of 39 for the first wicket with Zakir Hasan and 53 for the second with Najmul Hossain Shanto as Bangladesh made steady progress. Shanto, who led the home team in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, was dismissed just before lunch after playing an attacking 37 off 35 deliveries. He was particularly harsh on left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel (2-76), hitting him for three sixes to entertain the sparse crowd. Patel, one of only three bowlers ever to take 10 wickets in a single test innings, gave the visitors an early breakthrough when he dismissed Zakir Hasan for 12 in the 13th over with a delivery that turned sharply to rattle the stumps. Shanto targeted Patel and opened with a six over mid-on. And he used his feet effectively to dominate New Zealand’s other spinners – Ish Sodhi and Glenn Phillips. But he paid for his aggressive batting when he charged a full toss from Philips and skied a catch to Kane Williamson in the deep, making the score 92-2. Mahmudul and Mominul dug in to defy the New Zealand bowlers who were relentless in attack and Mahmudul raised his fourth test fifty, driving Patel for a boundary through cover off 93 balls. As the innings seemed to turn in Bangladesh’s favour, Phillips made the crucial breakthrough when Mominul’s attempted cut resulted in a catch behind the wicket, ending the 88-run partnership. Mominul scored 37 off 78 with four fours. Mahmudul fell in the next over. After playing with soft hands throughout his stay, he went after legspinner Shodi, only to be caught by Daryl Mitchell at slip. With Bangladesh at 184-4, the onus was on veteran Mushfiqur Rahim to lead the side but he needlessly charged Patel to be caught by Williamson at deep mid-off for 12. Debutant Shahadat Hossain appeared to be solid against the spinners but the rash shots of Mehidy Hasan against pacer Kyle Jamieson (2-52), further deepened Bangladesh’s crisis. Shahadat was undone by a slower delivery from Phillips as he chipped straight to short midwicket after adding 24. Phillips also dismissed Nurul Hasan, who adopted the policy of counterattack but failed to execute it properly. Nurul hit five boundaries for his 28 ball-29. “There were patches when Bangladesh really had us on the ropes. We pulled it back nicely. We had some good periods,” Phillips said. “We thought that if we built a lot of pressure, we can get the rewards as well. It was maybe a 50-50 day. We put in some really good yards. We had a lot of good plans, and tried to be as patient as possible.” New Zealand edged closer to wrap up Bangladesh’s innings on day one but Shoriful Islam (13) and Taijul Islam (8) helped the side hold on until stumps was called because of bad light. “We have already 300 runs on the board, which is a positive thing," Mahmudul said. “We have some quality spinners who could make this total a match-winning one.”