It was a game of equals as the New Zealand cricket team joined hands with the Bangladesh cricket team for a two-match Test series. The two teams made sure to entertain the viewers with two thrilling games and put their best foot forward.
Opting to bat first in the first test, the hosts put up a score of 310 runs and followed it up with a score of 338 runs in the second innings. However, New Zealand fell short of 150 runs as they collapsed at 371 runs in their first batting innings and 181 runs in their second innings.
Following a below-average performance in the first Test, New Zealand bounced back to win the second Test match by four wickets. It was a match for the bowlers to shine as the hosts were restricted to scores of 172 and 144 runs respectively in their two batting innings.
Let us check out the report card of the New Zealand players:
Top Order
Tom Latham (2.5/10): It was a series to forget for the opening batter Tom Latham. The 31-year-old ended up with only 51 runs across four innings at an underwhelming average of 12.75. His highest score in the series read 26 runs and it came during the final innings of the second Test match.
Devon Conway (2/10): Just like his opening partner Tom Latham, Devon Conway also let down the fans and his team. In the past two years, Conway formed the backbone of New Zealand’s batting line-up, especially in the longest format of the game. However, that was not the case this time around, as he could score only 47 runs at an average of 11.75 after batting in all four innings.
Kane Williamson was the second-highest run-getter for New Zealand
Kane Williamson (7.5/10): Relieved from the captaincy duties and the pressure that comes along with it, Kane Williamson did put on a good show with the bat against Bangladesh. With both Latham and Conway going through a bad phase, the former skipper made sure to contribute well by scoring 139 runs at an average of 139 runs.
Though the visitors lost in the first Test match by 150 runs, Kane stole all the thunder from Bangladesh by smacking 104 runs off 205 balls with the help of 11 boundaries.
Middle Order
Henry Nicholls (2/10): The middle-order batter Henry Nicholls made an almost non-existent contribution in the Test series. In the first Test, he scored 19 runs in the first batting innings and followed it up with 2 runs in the second. His performance only deteriorated in the second Test as he ended up with scores of one and three runs, respectively.
Daryl Mitchell (5/10): Daryl Mitchell was decent in the two-match series as he ended up as the third-highest run-getter for the team with 136 runs in four innings at an average of 34. His standout performance came during the final innings of the Test when he smacked 58 runs off 120 balls.
Tom Blundell (1/10): Tom Blundell was another New Zealand batter to deliver a forgettable performance against Bangladesh. The wicketkeeper-batter played all four innings but ended up with only 14 runs.
All-rounders
Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner helped the Kiwis level the series 1-1
Glenn Phillips (8.5/10): It was a series to shine for Glenn Phillips as he ended up as the highest run-getter with 181 runs to his name across four innings at a good average of 60.33.
Glenn got off to a good start in the first batting innings of the first Test with a knock of 42 runs. However, he could not continue the momentum and ended up scoring only 12 runs in the next innings.
The all-rounder was quick to redeem himself in the second Test as he smashed 87 runs in the first innings, also adding 40 runs to the scoreboard in the final innings as he took home the Player of the Match Award.
Mitchell Santner (9.5/10): Included in the playing XI for the second Test in place of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner dished out an excellent performance. He was one of the top wicket-takers for the visitors, with three wickets each to his name in New Zealand’s two bowling innings.
The 31-year-old also made sure to make his presence count with the bat. In the last innings of the second Test when New Zealand was struggling to score runs, Santner put out a knock of 35 runs off 39 balls to help the team win by four wickets and equal the series by 1-1.
Bowlers
Kyle Jamieson (3.5/10): It was a flop show for the pace bowler Kyle Jamieson in the Test series against Bangladesh as he failed to make much of an impact. The first Test match was no better as the 28-year-old picked only two wickets across two innings. He also scored less than 35 runs in the two innings.
Ish Sodhi (2.5/10): Ish Sodhi featured in only the first Test match of the two-match series and it would not be wrong to say that he failed to capitalize on the opportunity provided to him. The spinner picked up only one wicket in the first innings at an alarming economy rate of 5.1. Meanwhile, the third innings of the game saw the 31-year-old scalping two wickets at a relatively higher economy rate of 3.9.
Tim Southee (5.5/10): Going into the two-match series, a lot was expected of Tim Southee, the bowler. However, he failed to live up to the expectations and ended up with only four wickets in two matches at an average of 25.25 and an economy rate of 2.49.
The bowler somewhere redeemed himself with his good leadership skills, as that helped New Zealand in ending the series against Bangladesh at 1-1.
Ajaz Patel (8.5/10): Ajaz Patel was the bowler to watch out for the New Zealand cricket team as he ended up as the top wicket-taker for his side while also occupying second place in the overall list just behind Bangladesh’s Taijul Islam.
Patel scalped a total of 14 wickets at an average of over 23 and an economy rate of 3.50. His best performance came in the final Test as he picked up eight wickets across two innings.