A sterling resistance by Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah stalled New Zealand's progress in the afternoon session, after the hosts had threatened to roll over the Bangladesh batting line-up, on the third day in Hamilton.
For the second day on the trot, Seddon Park proved to a good breeding ground for record-breaking middle-order partnerships. Just as Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum made history with their 339-run association yesterday, the Bangladeshi pair rewrote the record for the seventh-wicket stand for their country with their impressive unbroken partnership worth 140, taking the team total to 336 for 6, and in sight of avoiding the follow on.
Shakib and Mahmudullah began the session cautiously, seeing out a testing period from the New Zealand seamers who had run rampant earlier on in the day, to grab four Bangladesh wickets between them.
The introduction of spin from both ends, however, spurred the Bangladesh batsmen into action, using their feet effectively to negate the small amount of turn on offer, to hammer the New Zealand slow bowlers to all corners. The sweep shot was used to good effect, with a few cheeky scoops over the keeper's head also proving productive for the tourists. The batsmen even brought about a few uncharacteristic misfields from the hosts, who had been typically efficient upto that point.
Jeetan Patel in particular, bore the brunt of the duo's assault, ending the session with unflattering figures of no wickets for 53 from ten overs in the innings. Not even solid spells from Chris Martin and Daryl Tuffey with the second new ball could budge the pair, who saw it through to the tea break with their team just 18 runs away from avoiding the follow on.
Things had look very different, when the same pair went in for the lunch break with their side in disarray at 211 for 6. Tim Southee and Chris Martin had started well, taking a wicket apiece early in the day, before Daryl Tuffey and Daniel Vettori added to the visitors' misery. The hosts troubled the Bangladesh batsmen with a niggardly line and length, extracted plenty of seam movement from the third day pitch and created ample opportunities, not allowing any of the batsmen to settle.
The hosts had the cushion of runs to play with, and it showed. They were relentless on attack, packing the slip cordon for the pacemen and encircling the visiting batsmen with a swarm of close-in catchers when the spinners operated, eagerly awaiting the slightest slip-up from the tourists.
The Bangladesh top order once again capitulated under the pressure, with many batsmen getting starts, but failing to kick on to achieve anything significant. Tamim Iqbal's innings had retained little of the breathtaking panache from the previous evening, as the New Zealand seamers tied him down with a miserly opening spell. He was eventually out to a false shot before Junaid Siddique fell to Martin. Mohammed Ashraful didn't stick around long, and Aftab Ahmed's return to the Test match crease after a two year hiatus was cut short by a Tuffey outswinger. Bangladesh's inability to rotate the strike effectively amplified the pressure being applied by the clinical New Zealand attack, though boundaries came with surprising regularity.
