It's going to be a good Test: Latham

New Zealand opener Tom Latham believes that the second Test, like the first one in Wellington, is likely to have an exciting finish with both teams looking good.

Speaking to reporters after the second day yesterday, Latham said that the wicket at Christchurch would eventually deteriorate and that the spinners could come into play.

“I think the Test match is pretty even. The first hour tomorrow morning is going to be crucial for both teams, we've got Henry Nicholls in there on 50-odd and batting really nice. If we can build some partnerships with the tail hopefully we can swing the momentum back in our favour.

“There's still a bit of movement for the bowlers and it tended to swing more than Wellington. It quickened up from yesterday [day one] and might take bit of turn towards the end. Looks like the Test is going to be a good one,” said Latham.

The Black Caps were in trouble early when a burst from Kamrul Islam Rabbi removed both Jeet Raval and Kane Williamson in a single over. That is when Latham and Ross Taylor got together to rebuild the innings for the hosts with a 127-run stand for the third wicket.

While Latham scored 68, Taylor ended up scoring 77. Latham later on explained that it was quite difficult for them to score runs with the Bangladeshis bowling a good line. The New Zealand top order batsman in fact were beaten a number of times due to the pace and swing.

“At a critical time we lost two quick wickets before lunch.  They didn't really give us anything to hit and we struggled to rotate the strike. For us to get through that tough time and put pressure back on them after lunch was good,” said Latham.

He admitted that the three late wickets in the day took away a bit of the momentum from them. Latham however hopes they can take a good enough lead and put the pressure back on the Bangladeshis.

“It's pretty even with those three late wickets. It gave them a bit of momentum but if we can come in the morning get a few with the ball it'll swing it back into our favour.

“If we can get ourselves in a handy position and get as many as we can in front hopefully we can put the pressure on them with the ball,” said Latham.