Cricket: Visitors' do-or-die tactics fail

Peter Ingram of New Zealand is run out by Imrul Kayes during the first test at Seddon Park yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

Bangladesh's batsmen have spent their time at Seddon Park this week like millionaires on a weekend splurge.

They have sprayed boundaries around with the abandon of high rollers on a run at the blackjack table, given the advertising hoardings a bruising, and it's been heady stuff.

Unfortunately for them, when it came time to knuckle down late yesterday to keep alive a flicker of hope of at least surviving the test, they got it all wrong.

The target, 404, might as well be 1000 and they will start hopelessly lost at 88 for five, after New Zealand declared their second innings at 258 for five, shortly after tea.

The pitch is comfortable, the bowling was better than the first innings.

Had Bangladesh not gone into an early evening meltdown yesterday and been able to bat close to the full day today such has been the pace of their scoring, they might not have have been far off the target.

Instead, with the mindset wrong and three wickets tumbling in 18 balls in the final 45 minutes, New Zealand have a sweep up job today.

Passing 400 to win a test has been achieved only four times in 133 years. The odds were always, well, prohibitive.

Tamim Iqbal didn't think so and started the chase as he left off in the first innings, lashing four boundaries in Tim Southee's second over.

That was captain Dan Vettori's cue to call for his best bowler, so he marked out his run. His third delivery disappeared high on the bank beyond long on, but for reasons known only to himself the talented Tamim tried a repeat next ball and was caught at deep mid off.

Junaid Siddique found a novel way to get out. Prodding awkwardly at a Chris Martin delivery, the ball lobbed over his head as he looked about in vain, and flukily fell on top of his bails.

The middle order was then blown away far too easily, Mohammad Ashraful out for the ninth time in nine tests to Vettori.

The Bangladeshi approach in the test contrasted sharply with New Zealand's morning dawdle yesterday. For much of it, they were going at less than three runs an over, but time was always on their side.

It was about manoeuvring into a winning position, so it was effective work.

If Bangladesh's batting has been exotic, the catching was woeful yesterday, but their dead-eye ability to hit the stumps ran out three batsmen in the innings. Figure that out.

Both Tim McIntosh and Martin Guptill were dropped after hitting catches back to the bowler and one of McIntosh's three sixes bounced out of the hands of the deep square leg fielder.

The tall Auckland lefthander seemed set for his second test hundred, a patient display spiked with some handsome driving and plenty of working the ball into space.

But on 89, he became the third run out victim, having had a hand in the other two.

Guptill drove hard to mid off and set off. McIntosh turned back to his crease, getting there ahead of Guptill, but then moved a step forward as Rubel Hossain's throw hit the stumps at the far end.

Him or me, the pair asked the umpires. A frustrated McIntosh was fingered by the third umpire.