Stumps New Zealand 147 for 5 (Young 69, Taylor 37*, Ravindra 6*, Ebadot 4-39) and 328 lead Bangladesh 458 (Mominul 88, Litton 86, Boult 4-85) by 17 runs
Ebadot Hossain landed big blows on the New Zealand batting on the fourth evening of the first Test in Mount Maunganui, picking up three wickets in the space of nine deliveries to reduce them from a stable 136 for 2 to 136 for 5. New Zealand went to stumps on 147 for 5, just ahead by 17 runs going into the final day with Ross Taylor and Rachin Ravindra in the middle.
New Zealand may have felt that the third-wicket partnership between Will Young and Taylor would take them to safety after they lost Tom Latham early and Devon Conway not long after.
But the script changed in the 54th over. Ebadot first got one to nip back at Young, who missed with the pull and the ball hit timber. Young threw back his head, swung his bat over the stumps and kicked the ground in disgust. This was the breakthrough Bangladesh had been waiting for. Ebadot struck Henry Nicholls' front pad next ball, but the lbw appeal was turned down. Next ball, though, he got the ball to burst through Nicholls' defence.
Then, in Ebadot's next over, Tom Blundell missed the incoming delivery and was given out lbw. The review didn't work for the New Zealand wicketkeeper as it was all three reds. Ebadot's spell read 7-2-15-3, which followed a nine-over burst earlier in the day during which he had sent back Devon Conway, the first-innings centurion.
With Ebadot changing the mood of the game, Bangladesh were left to rue some of their mistakes earlier in the day. They had wasted all three of their reviews by 36.5 overs and one of them was a downright howler, Taskin Ahmed hoping for an lbw decision when Taylor had middled the ball.
Even outside the bad reviews, New Zealand rode their luck. Especially Taylor, who had an easy chance at deep midwicket put down by Shadman Islam and a run-out chance missed. The catch was put down with Taylor on 17, when he slog swept Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Shadman pointed to the sun as explanation, but his sunglass sat on top of his cap.
Young reached his second fifty in the match at the other end, and the pair started to get a few more boundaries, but Bangladesh then got another golden opportunity to break through. Taylor was stranded in the middle of the pitch on that occasion, and Shadman's throw from gully should have caught him well short at the non-striker's end, except that Ebadot intercepted it and fluffed the chance.
Bangladesh had made a good start with the ball when they took two wickets in the second session. Taskin removed captain Tom Latham when his rising delivery took the left-hander's inside edge on to the stumps.
Conway, too, fell cheaply when his edge on to the pads flew to Shadman at gully. Ebadot had appealed for lbw at first, but the review confirmed the catch.
It could have been three for the session, but Litton Das spilt Young's attempted cut off Mehidy Hasan Miraz when he was on 31.
Bangladesh had earlier finished on 458 - over 176.2 overs, their second longest Test innings. That was also the most number of overs bowled by New Zealand in 12 years.
The visiting side was already in a good position, and a 75-run seventh-wicket stand between Mehidy and Yasir Ali pushed them further forward. Mehidy struck eight fours in his 47. He did survive two lbw appeals early, with reviews going in his favour on both occasions, showing that he had inside-edged them both.
Tim Southee finally removed Mehidy, breaking a wicket drought of 468 balls since the Kanpur Test in November. Kyle Jamieson also got his first wicket in the match when he had Yasir caught down the leg side for 26. Trent Boult promptly took the last wicket of the innings - his fourth - clean bowling Shoriful Islam.
