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Savouring the moment

AL MUSSABIR SADI
The third day of the first Test was not a spectator's delight. But it will be remembered for two individuals.
The home side might have been on the receiving end throughout the day at the hands of New Zealand, still there was time for ace left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique to achieve a landmark that no bowler of the country has yet to reach.
The feisty 34-year-old playing in his 13th match claimed 50 Test wickets when he dismissed New Zealand's Jacob Oram in the morning.
But lunch and beyond belonged to New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, who scored his maiden Test century. The righthander, who narrowly fell four runs short of the magical three-figure mark in England, scored an enterprising 143 in only his seventh Test appearance.
But Rafique's feat was something to celebrate for the home side.
The paceman-turned-left-arm spinner was over the moon once Oram was deceived by a classical
orthodox delivery that turned sharply and found the edge before Manzarul Islam took a smart catch at slip. No sooner had Rafiq got Oram he did a dance familiar for any African.
"I learned it (the dance) from Steve Tikolo when he was playing for Mohammedan in the Dhaka Premier League. We used to dance in the dressing room. It's an African dance. I enjoyed it that time and I was so excited that I decided to express my joy this way," Rafique told after the day's play.
Starting the day with three wickets Rafique also wrapped up the Black Caps' innings to finish with 6122, his fourth five-wicket haul.
"I'm proud of it. I knew I would be successful on this pitch because it suits my bowling. I've always tried to maintain a good line and length. I knew it would give me wickets in the end," said Rafique, who bowled tirelessly for 59.1 overs, nearly half of what Bangladesh bowled in the New Zealand innings.
Rafique also took his first six wickets against South Africa last year on this very ground, which kick started his career after being branded as a one-day bowler. His 677 against the Proteas still remains the best bowling figures by any
Bangladeshi.
"We should have dismissed McCullum earlier. He gave a few chances but we could not take those. It was sheer luck that he survived that long," said Rafique.
But 23-year-old McCullum looked at his innings differently.
"I had a target before the series and I'm happy to achieve it in a difficult situation. It was very important time when I came to bat. We needed a partnership and I think we helped ourselves to a commanding position," said the Kiwi stumper.
"Getting a Test century is always a dream for any batsman but unfortunately I missed it narrowly in England on our last tour. It is great that I made a Test century here in my seventh Test match but it was possible to convert it into a double," said the young batsman, who is looking to cement his position in the team.
McCullum believed that sometimes a top-order collapse creates an opportunity for the lower half to contribute.
"The situation was ideal to prove my worth. When I came to the crease our team was struggling at 139-5. It
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was had work and I had to really graft because the slow bowlers kept a tight line. So, I had to wait for the odd bad ball to punish," said McCullum.
The right-hander however praised the hardworking Bangladesh bowlers.
"Bangladesh have two good spinners and Tapash Baisya also swung the ball around and his reverse swing impressed me a lot. But I think if you can groom two more good pace bowlers it would be a much better attack," he suggested.
But he warned that it would be a difficult job for Bangladesh to survive on the fourth and fifth day especially against left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.
"Bangladesh batsmen will face tough task to survive against Daniel on a wearing pitch that is getting slower and more unpredictable," he observed.