Every cricket fan in the world is now wondering how Bangladesh were able to pull off such an incredible triumph away from home against the reigning ICC World Test Champions New Zealand. Those who didn't pay attention to the contest were certainly astonished by the outcome. The truth is that Bangladesh dominated for five days and earned a well-deserved victory over New Zealand in the series-opening Test in Mount Maunganui. Let's take a deeper look at the five defining moments in Bangladesh's historic win over New Zealand.

Five Pivotal Moments of New Zealand-Bangladesh First Test

There were a few crucial moments during the first Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Those important moments aided Bangladesh in securing a stunning victory in the contest. Here are the match's five key moments.

Bangladesh pacers domination in the first session of the match

As the phrase goes, morning shows the day, that's exactly what transpired in the first session of this match. Bangladesh's captain Mominul Haque won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat first. Thankfully, Bangladesh pacers came out with a lot of intensity and, more importantly, a well-thought-out strategy.

The accuracy of the Shoriful-Taskin pace bowling pair was absolutely fantastic, making life difficult for the Kiwi top order. Bangladesh only grabbed one wicket in the first session, and New Zealand were 66/1 at lunch. However, the Bangladesh bowling team surprised the Kiwi campaign with their outstanding performance. Their effort set the tone for the remainder of the match for Bangladesh.

The steadfast batting of Mahmudul Hasan

Young Mahmudul Hasan Joy was brilliant with the bat in the first innings. He was tenacious and adamant about holding his grip on the crease. Mahmudul played 228 balls in his 78-run innings, demonstrating his vigilance in the middle. His batting style encouraged the other batters to be more competitive at the crease. Therefore, Mahmudul Hasan's knock was one of the turning points in the match.

An effective partnership between Mominul and Liton

Bangladesh were down to 203/4 at one point in the first innings. Bangladesh needed a big partnership to take control of the contest. Mominul Haque and Liton Das achieved just that in the fifth wicket. They put up 158 runs for the fifth wicket, allowing Bangladesh to build a comfortable lead in the first innings. Nonetheless, it was disappointing to see both batsmen lose out on a Test century while being in a good position. However, the Mominul-Liton stand was a major deciding factor in the contest.

Ebadot's bowling charisma in the final hour of day 4

Pacer Ebadot Hossain was strongly criticized for not bowling to his full potential. Critics slammed him for not thinking much during the first innings while bowling. The right-handed medium-pacer silenced his doubters by bowling superbly in New Zealand's second innings. He came out with a lot of intensity and took up four key wickets in the third session of day-4. Thanks to his exceptional bowling, New Zealand were reduced to 147/5 in 63 overs, gaining just a 17-run lead at the end of day-4. Bangladesh's prospects of winning the match significantly improved after a fantastic bowling effort by the bowling unit.

The bowlers finish the job in the first hour of the fifth day

Bangladesh were required to wrap up New Zealand's second innings as soon as possible for a low-run chase. Bowlers were even more determined in the final day's opening session. Bangladesh took all of New Zealand's wickets in just 10.3 overs. Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed struck again, dismissing New Zealand for 169 runs. Bangladesh just needed to chase down 40 runs to win a historic match against New Zealand, thanks to their outstanding performance. So, Bangladesh's discipline and inspirational bowling in the morning session of day five was one of the match's pivotal moments.

Aftermath

Considering the Bangladesh cricket team's recent poor performance on the international stage, no one expected Bangladesh to win the first Test of the two-match series against New Zealand. However, a young and inexperienced Bangladesh team showed in the match that they can stun big teams anywhere in the world in cricket's most prestigious format. This victory would instill confidence in the current group of national team cricketers, allowing them to perform well in the upcoming Test fixtures in 2022. Furthermore, this triumph will serve as a stepping stone for future generations of cricketers.