Bangladesh's Zakir Hasan races past 5,000 FC runs with fifty
Bangladesh opener Zakir Hasan smoked a valiant fifty in the third innings of the second Test against New Zealand in Dhaka. It was indeed a valiant effort from the youngster as wickets kept falling at the other end. This was his third Test fifty as he ended up scoring 59 off 86 balls. He also completed 5,000 First Class runs during his stay.
A valiant effort from Hasan
Bangladesh, who were trailing by eight runs after the completion of the first innings of both teams, never got going in their second outing. Hasan, however, did not put his guard down and took his side past the 100-run mark. While he was watchful, the southpaw also kept finding the odd boundaries. His knock was laced with six fours and a maximum.
5,000 FC runs for Hasan
Hasan has now raced to 5,036 runs in 83 First-Class matches at a 40-plus average (50s: 19, 100: 15). He made his Test debut against India in December last year. He made a statement with a brilliant debut ton, 100 off 224 balls in Bangladesh's second innings. In five Tests now, the batter has raced to 354 runs at 35.40 (50s: 3, 100: 1).
How has the match proceeded?
On Day 1, 15 wickets fell with Bangladesh being folded for 172. In response, NZ managed 180 as Glenn Phillips starred with a fiery 87-run knock. Zakir's fifty helped the hosts finish at 144 in their second innings. Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel starred with a brilliant six-wicket haul. NZ need to chase 137 to win the game and level the two-match series 1-1.
