Bangladesh must have thought that they had finally established bona fide Test match credentials when they scored 595/8 declared on January 14. They had scored heavily against an opposition who had made life difficult for their established Asian neighbours when they went to Oceania. Bangladesh have been on an unbeaten streak with regard to Test series stretching back to May 2015, when Pakistan defeated them at home.
Since then, they played host to India, South Africa and England and lost only one Test match. They probably would have beaten Australia if they had come. However, in the first Test against New Zealand last week, something different happened. Bangladesh lost the match from what looked like an insurmountable position.
New Zealand were always going to be a different matter altogether. Yet the knocks of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim defied predictions. They gave hope that they could not just emerge with a credible draw but perhaps eke out a win in a manner reminiscent of how they had fashioned one against England in October.
A new dawn and the big fall
But it was a false dawn. They lost by seven wickets even after batting till the third day. They managed to lose in a manner reminiscent of Pakistan in December against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when they had scored 443, batting till the third day.
It is amazing for a moment just to realise that the fundamental idea of scoring heavily in the first innings and not losing is being torn to shreds. In these two cases and in India by England in the last two matches of their corresponding Test series a minimum score of 400 runs was achieved by the away team who batted for at least a day and half. And yet all of them lost heavily.
The home team, whether it be New Zealand, Australia or India, just carried on as if what happened before their time to bat came was a mere blimp. In all but one case the previous score was overhauled – only New Zealand did not establish a first innings lead and they scored 539. Australia and India scored 628, 631 and 759, respectively. The earliest of these four matches had the closest scenario when India were 307/6 in response to England’s 400 in the fourth Test match. England could have still hoped to draw the series then.
Instead, Jayant Yadav got a century batting at No. 10, which summed up how shredded the situation was for the underdogs.
How the fundamentals of Test cricket are changing
One fundamental idea may have been busted, but some others still held true. A heavy first-innings and second-innings score will lead to the third-innings total being much lower. Earlier on in Test cricket history, that would more often than not lead to a draw with the team batting fourth unlikely to have time to chase down the score.
But in the most recent of these four cases, the home team did just that. The New Zealand bowlers got rid of Bangladesh for 160 and then scored 217 runs at a run rate of 5.47 per over, the second highest run-rate in any chase ever. For the beleaguered away team, hope had taken flight and despair took its place instead. At least Bangladesh managed to get New Zealand to bat. Pakistan and England could not even do that as they limped to losses by innings.
The good work got reduced to statistical anomalies and any possible thought of doing well in the series drowned under the swift tidings of fortunes. The scheduling of Test matches is now such that there is no time to recover, with the next game likely to be held within five days. That was the case in Australia and India.
The second and final Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh began on January 20. The away team would have to go against recent trends to get a win. The way home teams have been winning in Tests now, though, it would be just as well to say they are as good any team out there.