Black Caps duo go big

Record sixth-wicket stand puts hosts in full control of one-off Test

Last updated: 16th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Black Caps duo go big

McCullum: playing in his 50th Test

First Test Match
Hamilton
New Zealand 553-7 dec (M J Guptill 189, B B McCullum 185, Rubel Hossain 5-166) v Bangladesh 87-1 (Tamim Iqbal 56 no)

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Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum both hit big centuries as New Zealand piled on the runs in the one-off Test against Bangladesh.

The duo shared a sixth-wicket stand worth 339 - a new record for the Kiwis - to help the hosts declare their first innings on 553-7 at Seddon Park.

Bangladesh's reply started promisingly enough, though, with Tamim Iqbal scoring a rapid half-century before bad weather ended play early.

The opener had made an unbeaten 56 with the tourists reaching 87-1 - meaning they trail by the small matter of 466 with nine wickets still in hand.

Mammoth total

They still have a long way to go to get anywhere near New Zealand's mammoth total that was virtually all down to the efforts of two men.

Resuming on 258-5, Guptill and McCullum both reached three figures in a morning session that saw the duo add 174 runs without any further loss.

Eventually their partnership came to an end in the afternoon when McCullum, playing in his 50th Test, was bowled by Rubel Hossain for 185 - his highest ever Test score.

Guptill fell to the same bowler, who finished with figures of 5-166, as an attempted pull shot on 189 only caught the shoulder of his bat to provide wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim with a straightforward catch.

The 23-year-old had batted for 310 balls for his maiden Test ton, hitting 18 boundaries and one six to justify the decision to bat him at number five.

Declaration

Daryl Tuffey (31 not out) and Jeetan Patel (12no) added useful runs before home skipper Daniel Vettori decided to declare during the tea interval.

Rain and bad light disrupted the final session but Tamim provided a ray of sunshine for Bangladesh, bringing up his fourth Test half-century in just 39 deliveries.

Seamer Chris Martin came in for some particularly rough treatment from the left-hander, his five overs costing 35 runs.

After helping put on 79 in under 13 overs, Imrul Kayes fell for 28 when he edged a Vettori delivery to Ross Taylor at slip. It was the only breakthrough the Black Caps managed before bad light forced the players off for the day.