Tim Southee calls out Dhaka’s wicket of second Test

Tim Southee called out the pitch in Dhaka for the second Test match between New Zealand and Bangladesh. The Kiwi pacer said that the wicket for the second Test was probably the worst pitch in which he ever played cricket. Southee claimed that the wicket was very difficult to bat on and had terrific assistance for the bowlers.

Bangladesh scored 172 and 144 runs in the Test in their backyard. “There’s several ways I could describe that wicket. For the match to be over in 170 overs is a fair reflection of that wicket. It wasn’t great. It certainly wasn’t an even battle between bat and ball,” said Southee. In no innings, a score of over 200 runs was scored in the match.

On the other hand, New Zealand posted 179 and 137 runs in their innings with the bat. Barring Glenn Phillips, no other batter seemed to be able to score runs in the middle. The spinners enjoyed bowling a lot in the venue. Ajaz Patel’s spell with the ball was the prime example of how good the wicket was for the spinners. Southee pointed out the same and felt that spinners dominated in the test.

‘It’s probably the worst wicket I’ve come across in my career’ – Tim Southee

The spin bowlers got some uneven bounce and turned the ball way too much right from the first day. New Zealand decided to resort to spin bowling soon after the initial spell from the pacers. Southee felt that neither the pacers nor the batters had anything on the pitch to play. The match was completed within 170 overs. If not for the rain, the match would not have gone to the third day.

“It’s probably the worst wicket I’ve come across in my career. As I said, the balance between bat and ball was heavily favoured in the bowlers’ hands. For the match to be over in 170 overs reflects that. For our guys to scrap and come away with a win was very pleasing,” added Southee. New Zealand performed very well to claim a win and level the series 1-1.