For Test cricket to survive, we need Bangladesh to be a thriving nation: Ross Taylor

Veteran batter Ross Taylor reckoned that Bangladesh’s victory over New Zealand in the opening Test in Mount Maunganui was a necessary injection for the survival of the purest format. Prior to the start of the series, the Tigers had lost all nine Tests in New Zealand, five of which were by a margin of an innings. But at the Bay Oval, they defied the odds and won by eight wickets.

Skipper Mominul Haque, Liton Das, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Ebadot Hossain made sure that Bangladesh came up trumps. Taylor, who recently announced his international retirement, sounded disappointed after the Black Caps crumbled under pressure, but also admitted that Bangladesh’s triumph will help Test cricket survive going ahead.

“If you look at it from a neutral point of view, I think it was good for world cricket. I think for Bangladesh to come in, a proud nation with a lot of proud history, for the game of cricket and Test cricket, I don’t think this was a bad result,” Taylor was quoted as saying in a press conference.

“Obviously, we were disappointed that we didn’t put up a bit of a contest. We were outplayed the whole time but I think for Test cricket to survive, we need Bangladesh to be a thriving nation and I think they will get a lot of confidence from that,” he stated.

We know we have to play some aggressive cricket, says Ross Taylor

Taylor, who got scores of 31 and 40 in Mount Maunganui, also talked about the Kiwis going back to the drawing board after the crushing defeat in the series opener. The game ended in a tad over four days after Hossain wreaked havoc in the second innings.

“We’re one-nil down, we know we have to play some aggressive cricket, but it’s also a ground that we know how we’re going to play and we’ve have had a lot of success here,” Taylor added.

The second Test is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, January 9 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Kiwis have won six out of eight Tests at the venue with one game ending in a draw. Only Pakistan have been able to beat them once back in 2016.