Hamilton: Tamim Iqbal made a brilliant 126 but Bangladesh sustained a major reversal between lunch and tea Thursday on the first day of the first cricket test against New Zealand.

Bangladesh was 122-2 at lunch, placed in a strong position by Tamim who was 85 not out at the first interval, falling narrowly short of becoming the seventh batsman in test history to make a century before lunch on the opening day of a test.

It celebrated Tamim’s ninth test century, from exactly 100 balls, soon after the resumption but from then on it sustained a small collapse which undermined its early dominance.

Mohammed Mithun was out for 8, Soumya Sarkar fell for 1 and Tamim himself was out soon after the drinks break as Bangladesh slumped to 180-5. At tea it was 217-7 with wicketkeeper Liton Das 14 not out.

Tamim had scored so rapidly early in his innings, reaching his half century from 37 balls with 10 fours, that it looked likely he would join the elite group including Australians Victor Trumper, Charlie Macartney, Donald Bradman and David Warner, Pakistan’s Majid Khan and India’s Shikhar Dhawan in reaching a century before lunch.

But he slowed approaching the first break of the day, taking only two runs from the 10 balls he faced before lunch. And while he still reached a century at exactly a run a ball, with 18 fours or 72 runs from boundaries, he went into his shell for a spell.

It was during that period that Bangladesh began to falter. Tamim then came out of his shell again and began blazing, hitting a six and two fours from an over from Tim Southee and narrowly escaping dismissal when he chipped a ball from Colin de Grandhomme just over the outfield.

De Grandhomme had revenge soon afterwards when Tamim steered a slow, short and wide delivery from the burly allrounder directly to Kane Williamson in the gully. Tamim had taken his 126 runs from 128 balls with 21 fours and a six.

He played elegantly, standing up to strike the ball powerfully square of the wicket on the off side or through cover.

The New Zealand bowlers helped him, and let down captain Williamson, by bowling a length outside off stump that allowed Iqball to score freely through that area.

Captain Mahmudullah tried to rebuild the Bangladesh innings after the loss of Iqbal but had made 22 when he chased a short-pitched delivery from Neil Wagner and was caught by Trent Boult at fine leg.

Mehedy Hasan was caught by Henry Nicholls at short leg off Wagner from the final ball before tea, giving Wagner 4-35 at the break.