New Zealand stalwart Ross Taylor capped off his long format career with one final wicket as the home side rolled over Bangladesh in the final Test match of the series at Hagley Oval.
Taylor bowling his first over of the match on Monday, 11 January, removed the visitor’s #11 Ebadot Hossain in the 80th over of the game to post a huge victory of an innings and 117 runs.
Forced to follow on after a Trent Boult masterclass in the first innings, Bangladesh fared better on the day, but not enough to make a difference in the course of the Test match. Liton Das, who has seen a significant rise in form since his T20 World Cup fiasco, was once again the star of the show, scoring 102 runs off 114 deliveries. Barring Liton, no one in the Bangladesh line-up stood up to the NZ pace attack and were dismissed despite getting starts.
With the win, NZ were able to maintain their undefeated streak at home and now have entered their 5th year of defence, not having lost since 2017/18.
The match was also New Zealand’s first win in the World Test Championship 2023 calendar, having lost two out of their earlier three matches against India and Bangladesh.
At the moment, the title defenders stand 8th in the league table with 16 points to their name. Out of their four matches played, they have won 1, lost 2, and drawn 1 Test match.