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The Kiwi spinners were on the mark yesterday as they created havoc in the Bangladeshi dressing room. New Zealand won the game by a comfortable 52 run margin to gain some parity in the series.
The Kiwis won the toss and decided that they will bat first this time. The pitch at Dhaka has produced low-scoring tracks that offer help to the spinners, so runs on the board were always going to be helpful. The NZ top order of Finn Allen (15 off 10), Rachin Ravindra (20 off 20) and Will Young (20 off 20) contributed around 50 runs at the start of the innings.
Mohammad Saifuddin should be credited for picking up two quick wickets in the 7th over of the match. New Zealand were in a spot of bother at one stage at 62/5 in 10.5 overs. Henry Nicholls (36 off 29) and Tom Blundell (30 off 30) scored a 66 run partnership and propelled their side to a total of 128.
Before this series, Bangladesh have never won a T20I match against New Zealand but were one innings away from gaining an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. However, the New Zealand spinners had a different plan.
Ajaz Patel (4 for 16) was the leader of the pack, but he was very well supported by Cole McConchie (3 for 15) and youngster Rachin Ravindra (1 for 13). The spin trio picked up eight wickets in 12 overs at an economy rate of 3.66.
Mushfiqur Rahim was the lone warrior for the Tigers as the wicket-keeper batsman scored 20 runs in a 37-ball knock and remained unbeaten till all his fellow teammates were dismissed.
New Zealand bowled out Bangladesh for just 76 runs. This makes the T20I really interesting as the Kiwis will look to make a comeback by winning the next two matches.
Brief Scores
New Zealand: 128/5 in 20 overs (Henry Nicholls 36, Tom Blundell 30; Mohammad Saifuddin 2/28, Mahmudullah 1/10) defeated
Bangladesh: 76/10 in 19.4 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 20, Liton Das 15; Ajaz Patel 4/16, Cole McConchie 3/15)
Man of the Match
Ajaz Patel
