New Zealand vs Bangladesh 2nd Test, Day 3, preview and predictions: Visitors look to maintain domination

Bangladesh will be a confident side when they take the field on Day Three, against New Zealand at Christchurch. The Kiwis were easily marching towards Bangladesh’s 289 in the first innings, as Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner looked in ominous touch. It was towards the end of day that stand-in skipper Tamim Iqbal brought Shakib Al Hasan into attack. Shakib bowled two overs, which changed the dimension of the game. Shakib first got rid of Santner, ending the 75 run-stand for the sixth wicket with Nicholls and subsequently got the wickets of BJ Watling (1) and Colin de Grandhomme (0). New Zealand ended Day Two at 260 for 7, trailing by 29 runs and 3 wickets in hand.

The presence of Nicholls, who is unbeaten on 56, is the positive aspect for the hosts, as they still can expect to surpass their opponent’s total; but at the same time, they can’t disregard the fact that he is running out of partners. While Tim Southee is at the crease batting on 4, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult are the last two batsmen. The first priority for hosts would be to cross the 289-run border and then to muster maximum runs they can.

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Live Cricket Scorecard: Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 2nd Test Christchurch

For Bangladesh, they would be expecting their bowlers to complete the formalities of winding up the Kiwi tail and if possible below their first-innings total. However, if they come out with the intentions of going for the kill, they can definitely clean the tail given the amount of talent they boast in their bowling attack.

The second priority for Bangladesh would be to not repeat the same batting performance, which they had displayed in the first innings (excluding a few). The Tamim-led side has a good enough chance to dominate the proceedings on Day Three if they deploy their tactics in the right manner. On the other hand, New Zealand will be expecting to rectify their mistakes in fielding and grasp on every single chance that comes their way.

Kamrul Islam Rabbi, who took 2 wickets in three deliveries on Day Two, had also played a knock of 2 runs from 63 deliveries in the first innings, getting on New Zealand’s nerves. Rabbi bowled a top spell in the first session, making full use of the swinging conditions. Praising his effort with bat and ball, Soumy Sarkar who top scored (86) for Bangladesh in the first innings was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.com: “I was telling him after he returned to the dressing room that a batsman would have scored a century had Rabbi been at the other end. He batted out 60-70 deliveries, which is great support to the team.”