CHRISTCHURCH: Opener Devon Conway starred with a glittering 70-run knock as New Zealand sealed a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Tri-series, here on Sunday.
Bangladesh lost their second consecutive match in the ongoing Tri-series, whereas New Zealand secured their first win since both the teams were defeated by Pakistan on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Kiwi bowlers stormed through the middle order and reduced Bangladesh to 137/8 in the allotted 20 overs after they opted to field first.
Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee and Michael Bracewell bagged two wickets each while Bangladesh batters failed to put up an impressive show as opener Najumul Hasan Shanto top-scored for the side with a cautious 33 off 29.
New Zealand, on the other hand, took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners as Conway smashed seven fours and a six during his unbeaten knock while Glenn Philips played a superb cameo as he hit 23 off 9, laced with two four and as many sixes to take his side home.
Kiwi Opener Fin Allen scored 16 off 18 while skipper Kane Williamson contributed with 30 off 29 as the hosts chased the target in 17.5 overs for the loss of just two wickets.
New Zealand will now face Pakistan for the second time in Tri-series on Tuesday before they lock horns with Bangladesh again on Wednesday.
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LONDON: New Zealand left-handed batter Devon Conway and all-rounder Michael Bracewell along with two support staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 and went into five days of isolation ahead of the third Test against England next week at Headingley.
Bracewell underwent the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) as he faced symptoms a day after the conclusion of the second Test at Nottingham.
The rest of the touring party went through another round of testing upon their arrival in London with Conway also testing positive for Covid before going into isolation, confirmed New Zealand Cricket on Twitter.
New Zealand’s team physio Vijay Vallabh along with strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson have tested positive as well.
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, who had earlier tested positive, has rejoined the team after serving a five-day period of isolation.
Bracewell made his debut at the Trent Bridge Test after Williamson was tested positive for Covid.
CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand’s top-order batters scored big against Bangladesh; helping the side to finish the first day of the second Test at an astonishing 349/1, here on Sunday.
Kiwi batter Tom Latham eyeing a double-ton, while Devon Conway remained not-out for his 99 at the stumps on day one.
At the toss, Bangladesh’s captain Mominul Haque elected to bowl first after the coin flipped in his favour.
In response, the host openers Latham and Will Young provided a magnificent start to the side, The duo scored half-centuries; recording a mammoth 148-runs opening partnership. Young, however, fell short soon after reaching his half-century. He managed to score 54 off 114 deliveries, including five boundaries.
Following Young’s dismissal, Conway then joined Latham and the pair proved out to be handier. The duo put on a terrific 201-runs partnership before stumps were called.
Latham finished the first day of the second Test at his individual score of 186* off 278 balls; smashing 28 boundaries. Young, on the other hand, will resume his inning at 99 not-out. He faced 148 balls and smashed 11 boundaries including a maximum.
For Bangladesh, only Shoriful Islam managed to make one scalp on the opening day.
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London: New Zealand’s Devon Conway made exactly 200 on his Test debut before England captain Joe Root helped the hosts recover from a top-order collapse on the second day of the series opener at Lord’s on Thursday.
Opening batsman Conway was last man out in a first-innings total of 378.
England, who slumped to 18-2, ended the day on 111-2, a deficit of 267 runs. Burns was 59 not out and Root unbeaten on 42, with their partnership worth 93 runs.
“I think it’s reasonably evenly poised,” New Zealand paceman Tim Southee, who took 1-17 in 11 overs, told reporters after stumps.
“There’s a little bit there for the bowlers.”
Southee, turning to Conway’s remarkable contribution, added: “It was an incredible innings. He’s a special player, we’ve known that for a little while now.
“He works extremely hard, he’s always willing to learn and continue to ask questions. Everyone’s just extremely proud and pleased for him.”
New Zealand, who resumed on 246-3, looked like they might bat England out of the game while Conway and fellow left-hander Henry Nicholls (61) were sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 174.
But they lost four wickets for just six runs as they slumped from 288-3 to 294-7, with Mark Wood, the fastest member of England’s pace quartet, instigating a collapse when he had Nicholls caught at long leg by Test debutant Ollie Robinson.
Sussex paceman Robinson led England’s attack with 4-75 in 28 overs.
Robinson’s ‘character’ test
It was a fine effort by Robinson, who apologised following stumps on Wednesday after racist and sexist tweets he had posted as a teenager were published again.
“Yesterday was a hard day, it tested his personality and character,” said England batting coach Graham Thorpe of Robinson.
“We have to support him as a player in our team we were really happy with the way he performed today.”.
Assessing the match situation, the former England batsman added: “From where we were this morning, we’re really happy to fight back.
“We said yesterday that New Zealand didn’t get away from us, we didn’t bowl badly so we had to make inroads and 378, we’d have taken that from the position that we were in.”
Earlier, South Africa-born left-hander Conway was in sight of becoming the very first batsman in the 144-year history of Test cricket to carry their bat throughout the entire innings in their first knock in the format when he was run out to end a stay of more than nine-and-a-half hours.
Nevertheless, it needed a review of a close call before it was confirmed Root had taken the bails off in time.
Even so, Conway was only the seventh batsman to make a double hundred on Test debut.
He faced 347 balls, with 22 fours and went to 200 in style when he hooked Wood for a brilliant six.
New Zealand No 11 Neil Wagner, also born in South Africa, made 25 not out that included a superb straight six off Stuart Broad.
New Zealand, who after this two-match series face India in the inaugural World Test Championship final at Southampton later this month, struck with the new ball despite being without left-arm spearhead Trent Boult, who had been on family leave following a stint in the Indian Premier League.
Towering paceman Kyle Jamieson had Dom Sibley lbw for a duck on ‘umpire’s call’ after a review.
But there was no doubt when Zak Crawley was caught behind off Southee for two.
Burns and Root, however, then held firm in an often attritional stand, although left-hander Burns did go to fifty in 90 balls.