NZ vs BAN: Top five performers from the eventful Test series
The two-match Test series between New Zealand and Bangladesh ended 1-1 after the hosts won the second game by an innings and 117 runs at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Tigers won the opening Test by eight wickets to take a crucial 1-0 lead in the series.
But the Black Caps, captained by Tom Latham, rose to the occasion and thumped Mominul Haque and Co. in the second match. Throughout the two red-ball games, a number of players put forth their A-game and lived up to the expectations.
Here are the top five performers from the New Zealand – Bangladesh series
Trent Boult
Trent Boult finished the series as the joint-highest wicket-taker with Bangladesh’s Ebadot Hossain. The left-arm pacer picked up nine scalps with a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the second Test. Boult also notched 300 plus Test wickets in the purest format of the game. The fifer at the Hagley Oval helped New Zealand amass a massive first innings lead after which the home team didn’t look back.
Liton Das
Liton Das has been exceptional for Bangladesh in the last couple of months, especially in Test cricket. After his ton against Pakistan, he smashed 196 runs against the Kiwis at an average of 65.33. Das missed out on a century in the first Test, but he put his best foot forward in Christchurch. Liton scored 102 runs at a strike rate of nearly 90 in the second innings of the second Test at the Hagley Oval.
Tom Latham
Tom Latham scored only 15 runs across two innings in the Mount Maunganui Test. But he ended the series as the leading run-scorer from either side. In the second Test, the stand-in Black Caps’ skipper scored 252 runs and broke the backbone of the Bangladesh bowling. Latham was dominant throughout his knock and helped his team amass a humongous score. He smashed 36 fours and two sixes in the series.
Ebadot Hossain
Ebadot Hossain didn’t have the best of outings in Christchurch as the Kiwi batters took him apart, although he picked up two wickets. But the pacer gave an account of his true self in the opening Test at the Bay Oval where he got the Player of the Match award. The pacer picked up seven wickets, including a six-fer in the second innings. He also finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the series.
Devon Conway
The Walton Player of the Series is Devon Conway with a hundred in each Test. #NZvBAN pic.twitter.com/3pSORUXOvo
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 11, 2022
Devon Conway’s Test average of 69.22 shows how successful he has been in the purest format. In the opening Test, the southpaw scored a sparkling ton, but his effort went in vain. Conway racked up a ton at the Hagley Oval as well and this time around, it came in a match-winning effort. In three innings, the left-hander scored 244 runs at an average of 81.33. The Tigers’ bowlers found it tough to dislodge him.
