CHRISTCHURCH: Makeshift opener Soumya Sarkar celebrated his return to Test cricket with a maiden half-century in the second and final Test against New Zealand at Christchurch\u00b4s Hagley Oval on Friday.
\nAfter being 38 for two, which included the loss of captain Tamim Iqbal, Soumya and Shakib Al Hasan steered Bangladesh to 128-2 at lunch on the first day.
\nSoumya, whose previous best was 37 batting at six in his last Test against India in 2015, was unbeaten on 64 with Shakib on 39 after Bangladesh were sent into bat on a typical New Zealand green-tinged surface.
\nThe pair were batting briskly with their unbeaten 90-run stand for the third wicket coming off 25 overs as they took the initiative away from New Zealand.
\nSoumya offered one chance on 52 with an edge off Colin de Grandhomme which was dropped by second slip Jeet Raval diving in front of first slip Ross Taylor.
\nWith New Zealand bowling fuller and wider than they did in the first Test, Tim Southee made the initial breakthrough in the fourth over when he had Tamim caught behind for five.
\nThe stand-in Bangladesh captain gloved a ball swinging down the leg side and wicketkeeper BJ Watling took a smart catch moving to his right.
\nTrent Boult troubled Mahmudullah with several deliveries that nipped back to the right-hander, before eventually getting an edge for Watling\u00b4s second catch.
\nMahmudullah\u00b4s 19 came off 24 deliveries and included three of the 19 boundaries posted by Bangladesh in the 27 overs bowled in the morning session.
\nNew Zealand have kept the same XI who won the first Test by seven wickets while an injury crisis forced Bangladesh into making four changes.
\nRegular captain and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim along with top-order batsmen Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque, who are all injured, have been replaced by Soumya and debutants Nurul Hasan and 18-year-old Nazmul Hossain Shanto.
\nIn a form-based change, paceman Rubel Hossain replaced Subhashis Roy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHRISTCHURCH: Makeshift opener Soumya Sarkar celebrated his return to Test cricket with a maiden half-century in the second and final Test against New Zealand at Christchurch\u00b4s Hagley Oval on Friday. After being 38 for two, which included the loss of captain Tamim Iqbal, Soumya and Shakib Al Hasan steered Bangladesh to 128-2 at lunch on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n