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Mirpur - Rain washed out the last day of the Bangladesh-New Zealand second cricket Test to spoil what could have been an interesting Friday.
The match and series were probably going to be drawn anyway before rain interfered, but the match was set up for a compelling finish.
Bangladesh's second-innings fightback was stuck on the overnight score of 269-3 and a lead of 114. Mominul Haque was stranded on 126 not out, his second century of the series, which earned him the honors of man of the match and series.
Bangladesh planned to declare around lunchtime, tempt the Kiwis with a chance at victory and try to force a New Zealand collapse. But both teams were thwarted by the rain which began overnight, leaving Bangladesh to wait longer for its first test win over the Kiwis.
"We were expected to win this series," New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said. "If we strip it right back, we played good cricket. Our batting was outstanding, our bowling stood up in tough conditions. I think a drawn series is a fair reflection because Bangladesh played some excellent cricket as well.
"We knew that Bangladesh was going to be a tough proposition at home. To come straight out of a winter and play against a spin-dominant bowling lineup and very skilled at playing in these conditions, we are pleased with how we have gone in this series."
Bangladesh scored 282 in its first innings and New Zealand 437.
"Ahead of the test series I said our target is to play good and consistent cricket. It's a tough task but we did that, and it's a big achievement for our cricket," Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said.
"Another problem was, we were not used to playing good cricket in the second innings. But if you look at our performance in the two tests you'll see that we played well in the second innings, which is a sign of our improvement.
"It's also a really good sign that we have, now, many performers. Someone might fail in an innings but the good thing for us in this series was that another person came forward. That's why we could put pressure on them and become competitive.
"We were in a good position for victory in both matches but the wicket in Chittagong and rain in Mirpur spoiled our chances. Hopefully, the performances in the tests will inspire us to win the ODI series."
The first of three one-day internationals is on Tuesday at Dhaka.
