Even as the first Test petered out into a draw, the home side had plenty of reasons to celebrate, not least among them Sohag Gazi's performance on the final day. A Test hat-trick, the second only by a Bangladesh bowler, gave him a singular place in cricket history as he became the first cricketer to score a hundred and take a hat-trick in the same game. That wasn't the only record he claimed.
When Mushfiqur Rahim managed to latch on to a rebound off his chest, to get rid of BJ Watling off the third ball of the 85th over, Gazi became only the third player in this decade to score a hundred and take five wickets in a Test, after R Ashwin and team-mate Shakib Al Hasan.
Having taken two wickets off successive balls in that over, Gazi then went on to complete a hat-trick, courtesy a one-handed catch at first slip by Shakib who dived forward to catch the ball close to the ground.
The early finish to the game on the fourth evening meant that the possibility of rain loomed over the final day, but the weather stayed clear. New Zealand, however, began the fifth day slowly. They were seeking consolidation and, with Peter Fulton at the crease, they got just that. Fulton kept the Bangladesh spinners at bay in his own way, with the bat coming down from his 1.98 metre frame and defending the ball low to the ground. He scored 59 runs in more than three hours, adding 101 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson.
Fulton fell leg-before to Gazi in the second hour of play, and was followed by Williamson who was out after adding 51 runs with Ross Taylor for the second wicket. Williamson made 74 off 150 balls, with two fours and a six, but was out to a freak dismissal: his full-bodied pull got lodged between Anamul Haque's thighs and the short-leg fielder held on to complete the catch.
Taylor upped the ante a bit after lunch, hitting Abdur Razzak for three consecutive fours in the first over after the break, as he and Brendon McCullum added 32 runs from 3.4 overs. The New Zealand captain, however, was undone by Gazi's length. The hat-trick followed, and the visitors had little to do but declare with the score on 287 for 7, setting Bangladesh a 256-run target with a maximum of 48 overs.
Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque started cautiously, with a few lbw appeals in between. Anamul was the first to go, caught at cover off a poor Bruce Martin delivery. The shot was a poor one,too, as the batsman went back, came forward and took his time to hit the ball straight to the cover fielder.
Tamim struggled to get the ball off the square, and also enjoyed some luck. He was dropped at deep square leg by Anderson off Martin on 29, and by Ross Taylor at slip when he was on 40. He spent 29 balls in the forties before an awkward-looking drive caught the top-edge, giving a catch to Martin in the covers.
Marshall Ayub once again gave a glimpse of his potential as a No. 3 with a good technique, but he fell leg-before to Sodhi. Shakib and Mominul Haque then got Bangladesh to safety in the last hour.
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