In the Sylhet Test, spinners dominated. Among the 32 wickets taken in four innings, spinners claimed 32 while pacers managed to secure 6 wickets. New Zealand’s spinners took 14 out of those 32 wickets, while their pacers took 4. Despite this, New Zealand’s spin bowling consultant, Saqlain Mushtaq, wasn’t entirely pleased with the bowlers’ performance in the Sylhet Test. He believes that more discipline and patience were needed among the bowlers in the first Test in Sylhet.
Bangladesh’s spinners performed exceptionally well in Sylhet, grabbing 18 out of New Zealand’s 20 wickets. Saqlain has also praised Bangladesh’s spinners, mentioning that there’s a lot to learn from their temperament and natural abilities. He emphasized the necessity of displaying similar traits in the game.
Saqlain previously mentioned the need for a bit more discipline and patience among bowlers in Sylhet before the match began, stating that better control was required at certain moments.
The dominance of spinners is expected to continue in the ongoing Test in Mirpur. The captain of the Kiwi team, Tim Southee, acknowledged this reality in a pre-match press conference, stating that spin would play a significant role given the conditions. This was evident from the early overs of the match. Within seven overs, spinners Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner had already made an impact. These two spinners have troubled Bangladesh’s openers with their consistent cricketing performance. Bangladesh’s Zakir Hasan fell to Santner’s delivery, while Mahmudul Hasan was dismissed by Patel.
The Test in Mirpur is continuing to highlight the prowess of spinners, setting the tone for the match.
