The decision
On-field umpires giving run-out decisions are rare these days so when Richard Illingworth raised his finger to adjudge Ish Sodhi out, there was a bit of disbelief. The throw came in from Mominul Haque from the covers, and the moment it hit the stumps, Sodhi was short of the crease. Mushfiqur was behind the stumps, and Illingworth behind him at square-leg. Replays showed it was a close call, but the umpire's confident decision saved time.
The pluck
Tamim Iqbal and Mominul made New Zealand sweat for more than a couple of hours when all of a sudden, Ross Taylor ended the partnership. A Kane Williamson delivery took the thick outside edge off Tamim and flew away from Taylor at slip. He stuck his right hand above his head, and grabbed it well. He coolly walked away, but couldn't contain his enjoyment at the grab as he laughed and celebrated with his team-mates.
The field
The moment Mominul moved to 99 with a clipped boundary through mid-on, Brendan McCullum brought up the field. It was an interesting one, as there were seven fielders on the off-side, including short point, a cover, a short mid-off, a regulation mid-off, a regulation point and two gully fieldsmen. There was a lot of pressure on Mominul as he got stuck on 99 for a while. McCullum ran in, talked to him, the bowlers bowled wide of the wicket, and the crowd got restless. The spell was broken when he drove down the ground to reach the three-figure mark. The crowd roared into laughter, and the moment helped Mominul calm down a bit.
The clip
Mominul is a little adventurous when cutting the ball, but there is also an element of risk when he plays across his pads. He has worked extensively on his leg-side technique over the last few months, and it is showing. He played two clips, the second of which off Neil Wagner, was the best. It was taken from the off stump and pierced between the square leg and fine leg fielders. It was a classy shot, and was greeted with a huge roar by the packed eastern gallery towards which the ball headed.
The misfield
In the final session, Sodhi's misfield showed how difficult the weather has been to some of the New Zealand newcomers. He was trying to cover a Mominul cut towards deep point, but when he got near the ball, Sodhi fell over, losing control of his body. He looked rightfully embarrassed. He had bowled 12 overs till that stage in sapping weather.
The poor shot
The onus was on Anamul Haque to set things right due to his ordinary form in this series. Unfortunately the opener failed to redeem himself. Off Neil Wagner's first ball of the innings, he slanted his bat, hoping to guide the ball somewhere through the slip cordon. With feet stuck on the crease, the ball took the edge and was gobbled up easily by Peter Fulton at second slip.