Cricket: NZ bowlers find little luck

New Zealand's bowlers struggled to break though the Bangladesh batsmen on a dour third morning of the first test, with a punchless attack drawing little from a lifeless wicket.

The low and slow track at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong meant the going was tough for the tourists' attack, with an ineffective hour from the seamers followed by a luckless turn from a trio of tweakers.

Bangladesh went to lunch on 176-3, losing one wicket while adding 74 runs to their overnight score to pull within 293 of New Zealand's first innings total of 469.

Batsmen looked more likely to get themselves out than fall victim to the bowlers and that proved to be the case for the only breakthrough in the session, with Corey Anderson grabbing a maiden wicket in his first test.

It will be a moment the allrounder will look back on fondly, but that was more about the milestone than the quality of delivery. His half-tracker wide outside off stump induced a loose stroke from Marshall Ayub and gave the Black Caps something to toast at the drinks break.

The wicket broke the hosts' third-wicket stand of 126 but left the majority provider in that partnership - 22-year-old Mominul Haque - at the crease. Playing in his fourth test, Haque continued the aggression he showed on day two when Bangladesh resumed on 102-2, racing through to three figures by driving Trent Boult to backward point for four.

Haque's 98-ball ton was streaky at times but he regularly found holes in the field and blunted New Zealand's seamers for much of the morning. The introduction of the Black Caps' spin attack halted his progress somewhat, but he remained unbeaten on 130 at lunch.

Kane Williamson was the first introduced by Brendon McCullum, with Bruce Martin's wayward spell yesterday doing little to endear him to the skipper and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi being kept in reserve with two left-handers at the crease.

While the pitch was hardly helping the cause of the trio, the Bangaldeshi slow-bowling troupe managed to find success in similar conditions on the opening two days, combining to pick up nine of New Zealand's 10 wickets.

Martin was soon brought to the crease and Sodhi was introduced late in the session, but neither man looked like taking the opportunity to create a case for continual selection. Williamson was generally the more threatening of the group, exhibiting changes of pace and variations in flight to keep the Bangladesh batsmen guessing.

Williamson's progress from a part-timer to a genuine option will be something to monitor as the tour progresses. If neither of the Black Caps' genuine spin options put up their hand over the weekend or in the second test, the national selectors may be inclined to opt for four seamers when the West Indies visit these shores for three tests in December.

The Northern Districts' batsman could carry the majority of the slow-bowling attack on flat tracks, allowing for New Zealand's strength in seamers to shine through.

 

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