A century to end the fairytale tour

Liton Kumar Das got his second Test hundred but the century was not enough to save struggling Bangladesh against New Zealand as the Tigers suffered a defeat by an innings and 117 runs at Christchurch on Tuesday.

The home side leveled the two-match Test series 1-1, after losing the first one to Bangladesh at Mount Maunganui by eight wickets.

With the closing of the Christchurch Test, the curtain dropped for the Bangladesh cricket team’s tour of New Zealand, which produced a fairytale victory for the visitors.

Though the tour ended on a sad note for Bangladesh as they lost the second Test but the overall tour was the most successful New Zealand trip for the Tigers as they registered their first win over them in the 33rd attempt.

Ebadot Hossain picked up five wickets in an innings, emerged as one of the trustable pace-bowling options and Liton also continued his good touch as he scored a hundred at Christchurch after missing out at Bay Oval.

Bangladesh played the second Test of the series without their frontline players and showed some resistance which indicates that the upcoming cricketers are ready to fill in the void. 

Captain Mominul Haque also showed maturity and proved that he is also coming out of the shadows, 

“I got the captaincy at a very tough moment. I always dreamed of winning against big teams. But that belief has to be visible. I think winning the first Test match was important for us to believe in our capability of winning overseas. We will one day win a Test series abroad. So, getting that belief, for myself, the team, and even for you, was a significant step. There are many positives. I always stress on a combined team effort, which I always believe brings us wins”, he said in the press conference after the match on Tuesday. 

Liton played two good knocks against a tough bowling attack, Mominul praised his BKSP alumni for his efforts,

“Liton played an outstanding knock in the second innings. He is technically very sound. He gets a lot of time like world-class players. He always ensures he scores off the bad balls. He waits for a long time for the bad balls, and then took the toll. He has scored two centuries in consecutive series. Everyone, including myself, was really enjoying his batting”, he told the media. 

Liton played a knock of 102 runs, he survived 114 balls where he hit 14 boundaries and a six, though Liton’s century only minimized the defeat margin. 

The Test team have a few more challenges coming up next as they will be playing against South Africa and the West Indies at their own turfs, Mominul believes that success from the New Zealand tour will boost the confidence levels of the cricketers, 

“A lot of challenges await us as a team this year. Everyone, including the opponents, assumes that we couldn’t do well abroad. This series will create more awareness about us. We have Test series against South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies (in the next six months). It won’t be easy for us. We have to accept the challenges and continue well”, said the Test captain. 

Now the cricketers will return home and most of them will be engaged in playing T20 in the upcoming Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League, but the fairytale win against New Zealand at their home will definitely give them added confidence when they will don the white jersey next time.