KEY POINTS:
Oh dear. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, New Zealand crashed to 57-4 against Bangladesh by tea on the second day at Chittagong.
Back in the pavilion contemplating another top-order collapse were Jamie How (16), debutant Jesse Ryder (1), Ross Taylor (12) and Aaron Redmond.
All were undone by the left-arm orthodox spin duo of Shakib Al Hasan (3-11) and Abdur Razzak (1-17), though Taylor and Redmond to a lesser extent might feel irked at the leg before decisions that sent them on their way.
However, the main contributing factor was inertia, as New Zealand followed Bangladesh's lead yesterday in scoring at funereal pace. Their 57 came from 26 overs.
But with Brendon McCullum not out at tea on a scratchy three, the hope was for a brighter last session.
You couldn't help but offer a penny for New Zealand batting coach Mark O'Neill's thoughts as he sat on the sideline watching the carnage.
Chances are you would have been beaten to it by one of the commentators with an Australasian twang - either Danny Morrison or Bruce Yardley - who clearly thought the broadcast had gone to a commercial when, mimicking the rotund Australian, they said: "What's going on here; I better go and eat another three pies."
It was cruel but so was the standard of cricket on offer.
Earlier, skipper Daniel Vettori spun a web around a clueless Bangladesh tail as the home side crashed from their overnight 183-4 to 245 all out.
Vettori's 5-56 from 36 well-directed overs was his 16th five-for in tests. He was backed by Jeetan Patel, who shrugged off a poor first day to take two wickets, and honest trier Iain O'Brien, who took three.
Bangladesh's capitulation was predictable. They have never passed 300 in an innings against New Zealand and even an impressive 144-run partnership between Mehrab Hossain jnr (83) and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (79) never threatened to break the barrier.
There seems to be real promise in Mehrab, the one player to break the shackles on what was threatening, midway through day one to be the most boring day's play ever. Well into the middle session Bangladesh were scoring at less than one per over while losing four wickets in the process.
Mehrab changed that, batting with a dirty blade he looked like he'd found down the back of the shed, next to the axe with the broken handle he's been meaning to fix and his late grandfather's old wooden-framed Slazenger tennis racquet.
Still, it's better than batting without stickers, a sure sign of an unloved player.
There's not too many sadder sights than watching batsmen toil away with clean blades, desperately searching for that maiden test 50 that will have the sponsors calling. Mushfiqur's 79 might have done that but the other 'cleanskins' down the order will have to wait.
* The West Indies will host the World Twenty20 Championship in 2010, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced last night.
The event will be held in place of the Champions Trophy that was to be hosted by West Indies in 2010, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.
