Dhaka Pitch Labelled "Worst Wicket" By New Zealand Captain Tim Southee

New Zealand Test skipper Tim Southee slammed the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and called the wicket the "worst" he has seen in his career after Blackcaps tied the two-match Test series with Bangladesh. Thirty batters were dismissed by spinners as 36 wickets fell in 178.1 overs of play - the third-lowest number of balls bowled in a Test (1069) for that many wickets to fall - and Southee felt the pitch was far too friendly to bowlers, creating an uneven contest.

"It is probably the worst wicket I've come across in my career. The balance between bat and ball was heavily favoured in the bowler's hands. I think for the match to be over in 170 overs sort of reflects that. So, for our guys to scrap away and then come away with the win was a big pleasure," Southee was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"I think it was just a scrappy Test match. It was a tough wicket. Runs were hard to come by, and just those little moments and partnerships throughout were crucial, whereas, in other matches, I guess when conditions are a little bit more even between bat and ball, they don't get noticed as much," he added.

"When we play Tests, we are not here to improve. This is not a place for practice. We are trying to win the Test. We must prepare to win the Test, but we should take this type of advantage. We can prepare in first-class cricket by trying out good wickets. We should prepare wickets like these and wickets like away conditions in NCL [National Cricket League] or BCL [Bangladesh Cricket League]," Shanto said.

When asked if the pitch in Sylhet for the first Test, which extended into the final day, gave the squad a "home advantage," Shanto pointed out that bowlers suffered there.

"It wasn't a very helpful wicket