Mushfiqur Rahim plays a fluent cover drive during his determined fifty

An unbroken stand of 139 between Mehrab Hossain Jr and Mushfiqur Rahim guided Bangladesh to 183-4 after day one of the first Test against New Zealand.

It was a painstaking effort from the Tigers, who lost Junaid Siddique first ball in the second over and stuttered to 44-4 at the end of the 43rd.

Hossain Jr hit 10 fours in 79 from 164 balls, while Rahim struck the only six of the day and had nine fours in 59.

The patient partnership was a fifth- wicket record for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh had failed to score in Chittagong when Siddique was trapped in front having been hit on the boot by an Iain O'Brien inswinger.

From the very next ball, wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum missed the chance to make it 0-2 when he spilled Rajin Saleh at comfortable height to his right.

In the next over there was another dropped catch, Aaron Redmond the guilty party this time at second slip, allowing Tamim Iqbal a reprieve.

The first 12 overs produced a mere four runs, the first boundary finally recorded from the final ball of the 14th over.

Redmond dropped Iqbal again, this time a chance above his head at short-leg off Jeetan Patel, when the left-hander was on eight.

Lunch was taken at 34-1 after 32 overs, but from the second ball after the resumption Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori tempted Iqbal to drive and the outside edge was taken by McCullum.

Saleh got an inside edge onto his stumps off O'Brien and in the next over, the Tigers were in even deeper trouble when Mohammad Ashraful was adjudged lbw by umpire Daryl Harper after Vettori drifted one in with the arm.

Understandably, the fifth-wicket pair were content to play in watchful fashion, with just the occasional flurry of scoring.

Hossain used his feet to good effect to hit three boundaries in an over off Patel, who was later swept for six by Mushfiqur.

The new ball was taken at the first available opportunity but New Zealand were unable to make a further breakthrough, Mushfiqur completing his fifty with a straight drive for four off O'Brien.