Fleming shines in tour opener

New Zealanders 285 for 6 (Fleming 129 ret., Marshall 51) v Bangladesh Cricket Board XI
Scorecard

Stephen Fleming's masterful display rescued New Zealand from an unpleasant situation © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming scored a chanceless 129 off 176 balls on the first day New Zealand's match against the BCB XI, their only warm-up ahead of next Tuesday's first Test. New Zealanders finished on 285 for 6 after rain and bad light had permitted only 66 overs.

Fleming and Hamish Marshall had put on 119 for the fourth wicket, after the Shahadat Hossain and Alamgir Kabir exploited the morning's humid conditions to reduce the New Zealanders to 86 for four. After a consolidating Fleming and Marshall unfurled an elegant range of shots to accelerate either side of lunch.

Kabir dismissed Marshall for 51, which did not slow Fleming's scoring, but rain, which came an hour after the resumption, did. Fleming retired out during the break to allow his other batsman time in the middle. He had been particularly severe on Nadif Chowdhury, a left-arm spinner lofting him for two straight sixes.

Before fading light brought an early finish, Shahadat Hossain Rajib made one delivery to bounce off a length to have Jacob Oram caught behind. The Bangladesh selectors - Faruque Ahmed, Athar ali Khan, Golam Nowsher and Dav Whatmore -were in attendance and will wait until the final day of this match before announcing the squad for the first Test at Dhaka.