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We were more patient - Redmond

After collapsing for 171 in the first innings, New Zealand reached 145 for 2 in the second and Aaron Redmond said that patience was the differentiating factor between the performances

Cricinfo staff
20-Oct-2008
New Zealand opener Aaron Redmond's unbeaten 62 has given New Zealand a chance of chasing Bangladesh's target of 317 on the final day of the first Test in Chittagong. After collapsing for 171 in the first innings, New Zealand reached 145 for 2 in the second and Redmond said that patience was the differentiating factor between the performances.
"Maybe, in the first innings, some of the options we took weren't good ones," Redmond said. "In the second innings we were looking to be a lot more patient and get the Bangladesh spinners to bowl in the areas we like to score.
"I think the biggest thing is that if you hit in the right areas, and show the full face of the bat, then it is still a good wicket out there. It didn't deteriorate as much as we thought it would. Actually it probably played the best in the whole game today so we were obviously looking to play straight, and then there is the patience factor."
Redmond said that the first session on Tuesday would be vital; an opinion shared by Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, although, he felt the initiative was still very much with the home side. "They are still 172 runs away and in the first innings they had lost ten wickets in making 171," Razzak said. "Now we need eight."
Razzak also felt that New Zealand's batsmen had been more patient in the second innings. "They probably tried too many things in the first innings but in this innings they just defended and waited for the loose balls. You can see that in the last hour when they made 29 runs from 15 overs. In that period we didn't give them any loose deliveries."
He said the amount of turn had reduced after New Zealand used the heavy roller but was hopeful that it would break up on the final day.