Mirpur pitch could turn more - Fulton

New Zealand batsman Peter Fulton has said that the pitch for the second Test and final Test in Mirpur, starting on Monday, could favour the spinners more. He said both New Zealand and Bangladesh will push for a result, following the draw in Chittagong.

"We are definitely keen to win the match," Fulton said. "I am sure Bangladesh will also be keen. So regardless of the wicket, both teams will try to get a result. It looks very dry, not a lot of grass on it. It is similar to the Chittagong game, preparing it to be low and slow.

"The wicket may turn more than it did in Chittagong. We are preparing for every scenario. It is not necessarily easy to get results. Five days is a long time in a Test match. If we improve on our first Test performance, we can get a result."

A draw loomed in Chittagong until Sohag Gazi's hat-trick on the final afternoon sparked hope for Bangladesh. In contrast, the New Zealand spinners, Bruce Martin and Ish Sodhi, were a work-in-progress throughout the Test as both were playing their first Test in the subcontinent. Fulton believes the bowlers need to be more patient.

"The Bangladesh spinners bowled well, as we expected them to. They kept it quite tight. They probably came into it a bit more on the last day when we were pushing for a declaration. Our spinners got better as the game went on. They can learn from the first Test. As a bowling unit, if we can be patient for a little bit longer, we will pick up wickets," Fulton said.

Fulton scored two fifties in the game, but his first-innings dismissal was a forgettable one. He dragged a long-hop straight to cover and walked away a distraught figure. There was a hundred for the taking, a first since the New Zealand summer when he struck his comeback ton against England.

"It is not easy to bat here with the heat. You have to work hard for runs. We have to get off to a good start which will set the team up for a result. I found it hard in the first innings with the heat. Like all the guys, we adjusted little bit and found things a little bit easier," he said.

Fulton is also hoping that his opening partner Hamish Rutherford will come good in the Mirpur Test. The left-hander made starts in both innings, but fell for scores of 34 and 32. "He is quite an aggressive player, so sometimes he might not push on to get the big scores as he would like. He is a very good player, and very aggressive at the start which takes the pressure off me," Fulton said.