Runs for Devon Conway and a solid position at stumps in a home test – the new year of test cricket has started in familiar fashion for the Black Caps.
Led by a century from Conway, the Black Caps have ended day one of the first test against Bangladesh at 258-5, an unspectacular but satisfactory effort after being put into bat.
In his first test at home, Conway continued the stellar start to his international career by dominating the Bangladeshi bowlers at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval, with a classy 122 giving the Black Caps a solid platform as they look to extend their 17-test unbeaten run at home.
He was aided by Will Young (52), Ross Taylor (31) and Henry Nicholls (32 not out), with the only member of the top five to miss out being skipper Tom Latham, who departed for one in what was a superb start from Bangladesh.
Nine overs into the test and the Black Caps had mustered just two runs and seen their captain depart to some of the best seam bowling Bangladesh have produced. Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were finding swing and bounce, and Shoriful drew an inside edge from Latham which cannoned off the pad and was brilliantly taken down low to his left by wicketkeeper Liton Das.
Shoriful could have easily had two wickets, with a review for lbw on a scoreless Conway coming back as umpire's call, but after early toil, the sun zapped away any remaining moisture from the pitch and the swing on offer dissipated, revealing a good surface for batting.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the first nine overs were as good as it got. Their third seamer Ebadot Hossain – whose test bowling average stood at 81 coming into the test – was sloppy and allowed Young and Conway to accelerate, while Bangladesh only selected four fulltime bowlers, meaning the spin of Mehidy Hasan Miraz was mightily overused when forced to come on in unhelpful conditions in the 23rd over.
From a plodding 15-1 at drinks the Black Caps reached 66-1 at lunch and Conway continued to ramp up the run rate after the interval, bringing up 50 with a six off Mehidy, followed by two further fours.
The partnership raced past 100, with Young favouring the offside and Conway punishing anything too straight by peppering the legside with on-drives, pulls and flicks. The only way a breakthrough looked likely was through New Zealand error, and sure enough Young threw away his wicket in a run out, being sent back by Conway after looking for a quick single and rather nonchalantly being caught short.
Conway was joined by the man he is set to replace at No 4, with Taylor contributing to a 50-run stand as Conway brought up his second test century, pulling Taskin to fine leg for a single to reach the milestone off 186 balls.
Taylor fell shortly after for 31, throwing his hands at a drive off Shoriful and slapping it straight to extra cover, but Bangladesh, possibly concerned about their over rate, quickly relinquished any pressure by bowling a barrage of spin before the second new ball.
Mehidy finished the day having bowled 27 fruitless overs for 72 runs, and he was joined by Najmul Hossain Shanto, a taker of a whopping five first-class wickets and a bowler of just four balls previously in tests, which had leaked 13 runs.
That allowed Nicholls to get settled in and Conway to accumulate, but remarkably, captain Mominul Haque and his four test wickets at an average of 102 brought himself on to bowl, and more remarkably, dismissed Conway with a terrible delivery heading down leg.
Conway couldn't resist a nibble, trying to glance it away, and a fine edge gave Mominul his fifth test wicket and Bangladesh hope of further inroads with the second new ball.
After a 31-run stand, they got it in what turned out to be the last ball before stumps, with Tom Blundell chopping on to Ebadot for 11, and while the Black Caps still hold the ascendancy, their bowlers might also have to contribute with the bat on day two.
