Bangladesh 80-3 at stumps on day 4 against New Zealand

Ross Taylor overcame the trials of a green pitch and an injured captain to post his third double century, steering New Zealand into a winning position Monday on the fourth day of the second cricket test against Bangladesh.

Through Taylor’s partnerships of 172 with Kane Williamson, who struggled with a shoulder injury, and 216 with Henry Nichols, who made his fifth test century, New Zealand was able to declare at 432-6, a lead of 221 runs.

At stumps, Bangladesh was 80-3, still 141 runs behind, leaving New Zealand all of the last day to press for an unlikely victory in a match reduced to three days.

The possibility of such a win seemed slight when the first two days were entirely lost to rain and when the New Zealand batting lineup was in trouble late on the third day.

Taylor came to the crease with New Zealand 8-2 in reply to Bangladesh’s first innings of 211, forced to bat in approaching darkness on a green pitch that produced sharp seam movement and venomous bounce.

With Williamson, he guided New Zealand to 38-2 at stumps on the third day, then continued to lead the home team’s innings in difficult batting conditions at the start of the fourth day.

Source: AP