Astle stars in drawn match

BCB XI 208 and 27 for 1 drew with New Zealanders 344 for 6 dec and 351 for 4 dec (Astle 113, Sinclair 71, Franklin 62)
Scorecard

Nathan Astle got some useful batting practice ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, scoring 113 as the New Zealanders' three-day game against Bangladesh Cricket Board XI ended in a draw. After taking a first-innings lead of 136, Stephen Fleming opted to give his batsmen another hit in the middle, and Mathew Sinclair, Jacob Oram and James Franklin all chipped in with useful scores.

Astle, however, took centre stage, shrugging off his first-innings failure - he made just 15 - with an emphatic knock which came off 157 balls and included 17 fours and a six. His partnership with Sinclair (71) yielded 174 for the second wicket, after Mark Richardson was an early casualty for the second time in the match, trapped in front by Shahadat Hossain for a duck. Both Astle and Sinclair retired to allow the rest of the batsmen an opportunity. Franklin (62) and Oram (47) continued the run-glut, before Fleming finally declared the innings.

The New Zealanders then struck another blow in the final hour, as Franklin dismissed Hannan Sarkar, who has been recalled in Bangladesh's squad for the first Test. Nafis Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, both of whom are also in that line-up, saved the Bangladeshis further embarrassment as they closed on 27 for 1.