The draw in the recently concluded Test match against Bangladesh in Chittagong was a fair enough result according to visiting New Zealand coach Mike Hesson who also informed that he has no idea about the wicket in Mirpur ahead of their second and final Test match of the tour.
Hesson opined that they did good with the bat after winning the toss and the bowlers also picked up two early wickets later, but “Mominul Haque played well and got some momentum going for them.”
“In the end it was tough to take wickets and it was easy enough to survive. So I think draw was a fair result,” said Hesson.
The Kiwi coach informed that his side has no idea about the Dhaka wicket and how it’s going to behave, but said his side has a lot of options before going to the second Test from October 21. “We haven’t looked at the wicket. We have watched a lot of games taking place there in the last couple of years and it [Mirpur wicket] varies as well, we have got four genuine quickies who can bounce the ball. We’ve got options where we can play an extra seamer or go for an extra batter,” he said.
The 38-year-old hopes the wicket at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will carry a bit more bounce than the one they just played in, but he did not forget to praise the heroics of Mominul Haque and Sohag Gazi.
“We didn’t have a lot of footage on him (Mominul). We knew we were supposed to bowl straight at him. We started off a bit wide, but he played extremely well scoring 180 in a Test.
“For Gazi to create so many opportunities on day five showed he can sustain pressure. I actually thought he went well as the Test went on, but scoring a hundred and taking a hat-trick is something remarkable,” said Hesson.
The visitors are however missing the service of their most experienced left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who also fared really well over the years against Bangladesh, and Hesson termed that, “Any side that New Zealand puts out with Daniel Vettori missing is a weaker side.” The coach also informed that fast bowler Tim Southee is still injured and has very less chance of taking the field for the second Test.
Hesson also said they have everything planned out for the seven-day break and it will be a good opportunity for them to freshen up and also do a little bit of scouting. With the Eid festival around the corner Hesson concluded his conference at the local hotel by saying, “Touring different country is a part of international cricket and the guys enjoy their stay at different places and enjoy different cultures.”