Bangladesh stymied New Zealand's run chase with three quick wickets as rain brought an early end to play on day two of the second cricket Test in Christchurch.
Bangladesh celebrate the wicket of de Grandhomme. Photo: Photosport
The Black Caps were 260 for seven, trailing by 29 runs, when the covers came onto Hagley Oval.
Henry Nicholls scored his 4th Test half century before the spin bowler Shakib Al Hassan claimed a cluster of wickets late in the evening session.
Colin de Grandhomme played all round a straight, sliding arm ball and was clean bowled for a three ball duck.
He had come to the crease after BJ Watling dragged a similar delivery from Shakib onto his stumps in the same over.
With one run next to his name, Watling trudged back to the pavilion to join Mitchell Santner (29) who had been trapped LBW by Shakib in his previous over.
Nicholls was dropped once on his way to fifty and found a way to accumulate runs without clearly dominating his attackers.
On 56, Nicholls and Tim Southee (4) will resume the Black Caps' first innings on Sunday in Christchurch where more rain is forecast.
Henry Nicholls celebrates 50. Photo: Photosport
Ross Taylor was dismissed before tea shortly after bringing up six-thousand career runs.
His was one of two wickets that fell during the afternoon session as the Black Caps advanced positively towards the tourists' first innings total of 289.
Taylor was caught at midwicket on 77 from the spin bowling of Mehedi Hasan.
He fell 23 runs short of his 17th Test century that would have equaled Martin Crowe's record of most Test centuries scored by a New Zealander.
With just over six thousand career runs from 80 Tests, Taylor is third on the list of all-time New Zealand run scorers.
He trails Brendon McCullum by about four hundred runs and is more than a thousand behind Stephen Fleming.
Ross Taylor during the 2nd day. Photo: Photosport
With Taylor's dismissal Mitchell Santner was promoted up the order to join fellow left-hander Nicholls at the wicket.
Nicholls had replaced the left-handed opener Tom Latham (68), who was caught behind after lunch from the bowling of Taskin Ahmed after scoring his 12th Test fifty.
The wicket taking delivery was short and wide from Tasken and Latham would have been dissapointed with the bottom edge it collected as he absent-mindedly waved a horizontal bat.
In the morning session, the Black Caps captain Kane Williamson was nicked out for just two runs.
The uncharacteristic failure from Williamson was provoked by a good length delivery from pace bowler Kamrul Islam that the number-three batsman edged to the keeper Nurul Hasan.
Kane Williamson Photo: Photosport
Two balls earlier, Islam removed the opener Jeet Raval, who chopped a shorter ball onto his stumps after being dropped twice in the slips.
Raval's dismissal for 16 and the prized scalp of Williamson were just reward for Bangladesh, who bowled with precision in defence of their meagre first innings total.
Reduced to 2-47, the drama continued for the hosts when Latham ducked into a short ball from recalled quick Rubel Hossain and fell to the pitch.
He was on his feet soon afterwards and continued batting after undergoing tests.
The 24-year-old's defensive judgement and sweetly timed drives through long on were the highlights of New Zealand's morning.
Latham and Raval, opened the batting for New Zealand at the start of play after stumps were called on day one when the tourists were dismissed late in the evening session.
After day one, the Black Caps bowler Tim Southee admitted some of the dismissals in his five wicket haul were from bad deliveries.
Tim Southee of the Black Caps appeals for a lbw during the 1st day. Photo: Photosport
He removed Shakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal with balls down the leg side that the batsmen were unlucky to glance to the wicket-keeper BJ Watling.
The caught behind dismissals made the combination of Southee and Watling New Zealand's most prolific bowler-keeper wicket taking combination with 44.
Southee was the best of the New Zealand bowlers, taking five wickets for 94 on day one.
Trent Boult claimed four wickets, while Neil Wagner took one.
Southee, who finished the day two wickets short of 200 in Test matches said it wasn't his best bowling performance despite the stats.
"Couple of burgles down the leg side which are always nice," he said.
"Looks good in the score book, caught Watling bowled Southee, but on other occasions you've bowled probably better and haven't got the wickets."
Bangladesh are pushing to notch their first win over New Zealand and square the two-match series 1-1.
Their hopes may not be aided by rain forecast to arrive mid-afternoon on Saturday and linger into Sunday.
- RNZ, Reuters
