Chittagong, October 21:

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori dashed Bangladesh’s hopes of a first major Test win today

with a fighting half-century as the tourists reeled in a mammoth target for victory in the first match.

Vettori, who also took nine wickets, hit 76 to spare his team’s blushes as the tourists reached the required 317-7 after tea on the last day. Vettori anchored the batting with his second half-century of the match, sharing a 45-run stand for the third wicket with Aaron Redmond (79) and then 82 for the sixth wicket with Daniel Flynn (49). He was finally bowled by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak with just 19 needed for victory. Vettori hit seven boundaries during his 214-ball knock.

With just one run needed, Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Flynn and it was left to Kyle Mills (one) to hit the winning run, with Jacob Oram remaining not out on eight. Bangladesh had raised hopes of victory when they removed Redmond and Ross Taylor (nine) to restrict New Zealand to 212-4.

Bangladesh then dismissed Brendon McCullum (2), trapped leg-before by Razzak, but Vettori and Flynn batted with authority to avert an embarrassing defeat.

Although the new ball brought Taylor’s downfall, it blunted whatever spin the slow bowlers were getting from the pitch.

Earlier, Redmond and Vettori saw off the first hour after they resumed at 145-2 until Bangladesh hit back through first-innings hero Hasan. The left-arm spinner, who set a new Bangladesh innings record with figures of 7-36, had one turn sharply across Redmond’s bat and the edge was held low by Zunaed Siddiqui at slip. The second Test starts in Dhaka from October 25.