Batters put Bangladesh in the driving seat at end of day 3, take first innings lead to 73

Three days of the Mount Maunganui Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand have been played so far and Bangladesh are well ahead of the hosts based on the number of sessions won. Bangladesh made the hosts bowl 156 overs and at stumps on day three, they were just four overs away from the third new ball. That's quite a rare sight for the Black Caps and that's how well Bangladesh have fought so far in the Test match. 

Bangladesh were 401 for six after 156 overs at the end of day three, ahead of the hosts by 73 runs. Liton Das and Mominul Haque put on stellar batting displays after the early departure of Mahmudul Hasan Joy but both of them would be kicking themselves for missing out on hundreds narrowly. 

New Zealand bowlers were far more disciplined on day three morning than they were on day two. Neil Wagner, who was by far the best bowler on day two, tested the batters with his typical short-pitch bowling especially Mahmudul Hasan Joy on the third morning. Joy became slightly impatient, unlike the previous day. He played a couple of uppish drives off the front foot on the off-side but ended up hitting the ball straight to the deep gully in an attempt to guide the ball past the vacant point region. This was Wagner's third scalp. Joy played well for his dogged 78.

On the other hand, Kyle Jamieson bowled with a lot of heart in the first hour, still swinging the old ball. He, in particular, got Mominul struggling to find a way to score. But the southpaw remained patient, left balls and played with soft hands. As soon as Rachin Ravindra replaced Jamieson in the attack, Mominul got his first run of the morning in the 50th minute and 29th delivery he faced. Earlier, he was dropped by Jamieson off his own bowling. 

But the Bangladesh skipper nicked one in the 80th over, the last one before lunch, but the left-arm seamer overstepped, much to Mominul's relief. 

Trent Boult and Tim Southee took the new ball and Mushfiqur and Mominul negotiated them well for eight overs before the former was dismissed. Boult set Mushfiqur up with a host of deliveries from over the wicket and cleaned him up in just the second delivery from round the stumps as the right-hander missed a straight one. Mushfiqur made 12 off 53. Bangladesh were then 203 for four. 

Liton, at six, looked assured from the beginning. He showed good intent against Southee by hitting him for two boundaries towards the back end of the first session - a drive through the covers and a pull in front of square. 

Bangladesh went into lunch at 220 for four with Mominul unbeaten on 17 off 98 and Liton on 12 off 17. 

The duo came out with a more positive mindset in the post-lunch session. Mominul got going with three boundaries - two off Wagner and one off Jamieson. But Liton looked the most comfortable of Bangladeshi batters as he scored runs freely both off the front and back foot. He looked particularly strong at the square of the wicket on both sides. 

The pair hit as many as ten boundaries in the first hour of the second session itself and kept the Black Caps bowlers at bay. 

Mominul reached his hard-fought fifty off 147 balls with a nudge through the covers for a boundary. 

Liton slowed down a bit in his 40s as he survived a hostile spell of Wagner. The wicketkeeper-batter brought up his fifty off 93 balls. The tourists ended the afternoon session at 307 for four.

They started proceedings on a positive note again after tea. Liton got himself going in the third session with three boundaries - one off Southee and two off Ravindra. Mominul, too, scored comfortably off Ravindra as he charged down the track and drove the ball wide of cover and mid-off to bring up the 150-run stand.

But just after the drinks break, Mominul's six-hour-long innings came to an end as Boult pinned him leg-before for 88. He faced 244 deliveries for that and struck 12 fours.

Mominul wasn't the only Bangladeshi batter to get out in the eighties. Liton slashed a wide delivery away from the body off Boult and in the process nicked that to Tom Blundell. Liton fell just 86 short of what could have been a top hundred. 

Mominul and Liton added 158 for the fifth wicket, the highest in the match. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Yasir Ali batted out the remaining overs safely before the close of play. This is only the second time Bangladesh batted more than 150 overs in an innings in Tests outside of Asia. 

Wagner and Boult stood out among the New Zealand bowlers with three wickets each.

Bangladesh would feel that they batted at a slightly slower pace and could not make the best use of the perfect batting conditions. But they would take 226 for four on any ground any day in Tests and will look to extend the lead on day four.