Gazi insists he belongs at Test level

Bangladesh

All-rounder Sohag Gazi emerged the proud recipient of the Man of the Match award, after the series opener between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong ended in a draw on Sunday.

All-rounder Sohag Gazi emerged the proud recipient of the Man of the Match award, after the series opener between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong ended in a draw on Sunday.

Gazi became the first cricketer to score a century and take a hat-trick in the same Test, with 101 not out in the hosts' first innings and figures of six for 77 in the tourists' second earning the rare feat.

Unfortunate trio Corey Anderson, BJ Watling and Doug Bracewell were, indeed, flummoxed in very quick succession by the 22-year-old off-spinner's telling performance. Anderson was trapped lbw plumb in front of the stumps, while Watling was outdone by additional bounce to be caught behind – and Bracewell completed the historic hat-trick by holing out to first slip.

"This was obviously a very good Test match for me, it has made me believe I belong to this level. I will go into the next match with a lot of self-confidence," enthused Gazi.

Host captain Mushfiqur Rahim lauded the performance of Gazi and batsman Mominul Haque's century on debut. Haque's 181, which spanned all of 274 deliveries and featured 27 boundaries, weighed in as the country's third highest individual score. Only Rahim's 200 and former skipper Mohammad Ashraful's 190 – both against Sri Lanka in Galle earlier this year – have done better.

"We were hungry to prove ourselves since we do not get many opportunities to play Tests. Our batting effort in the first innings was excellent," added Rahim. "Mominul's ton was very heartening, and one just can't praise Gazi enough. A ton and a hat-trick in the same game is something one can only dream about."

Wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling's 103 complemented the talented Kane Williamson's 114 superbly in the Kiwis' first innings, and skipper Brendon McCullum looked forward to a strong performance in the second and final Test, which which will get underway at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on 21 October.

"The wicket was not an easy one, but Watling was just outstanding and I was very happy the way Kane played. We look forward to putting up a better show in the second Test," concluded McCullum.

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