Aussie curator passes first test

For the last few years, the chatter surrounding the pitch after a home Test for Bangladesh would usually be about its overtly spin-friendly nature or it having nothing on offer for bowlers.

But after the first Test of the two-match series between Bangladesh and New Zealand, the pitch at the Sylhet International Stadium has attracted a lot of positive attention, as cricketers, broadcasters and fans are singing praises of its sporting nature.

The person who oversaw the preparation of the lively pitch in Sylhet was Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) curator's recently appointed curator Tony Hemming.

Hemming, who was appointed by the BCB on a two-year contract in July, saw the match come to a conclusion on Saturday morning in the media centre and was visibly satisfied with his work.

"Groundsman tries to have an even balance between bat and ball. It was almost 29 runs a wicket. So it was very close," said Hemming as a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Hemmings was delighted to have a hand in preparing a pitch that produced a good Test match.

"Well, there was a bit in for all facets of the game. So, everyone got a chance to compete. That is what a good Test pitch is. Yeah, very pleasing to get the results, but more importantly, it is good to see good cricket."

Hemming has an impressive resume, having worked with Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) as a soil advisor and consultant and the head curator of the ICC Cricket Academy and the Dubai International Stadium.

He is now tasked with the development of the Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium in Purbachal, along with running training programmes for curators.

Suffice to say, the Australian has passed his first test with flying colours.

In the match, the Tigers defeated the Kiwis by 150 runs - their maiden home Test against the opponents - to take a 1-0 lead.

The margin of the win could indicate that the match was played on a typical Bangladeshi rank-turner, where matches usually end by the third day.

However, the fact that the match ended on the morning session of the fifth day indicates that wasn't the case.

The bounce in the pitch in Sylhet was nearly the same all five days with very few instances of the ball keeping low.

Although the spinners got some assistance, there were no demons in the wicket, which meant the bowlers had to put in more effort to claim their wickets.

In this regard, the Bangladeshi spinners had the edge with Taijul Islam claiming a match-winning 10-wicket haul.

Players from both Bangladesh and New Zealand said that the wicket played well, and was far from a minefield for the batters.