Home ›› 09 Sep 2021 ›› Front
As soon as his slog sweep off Cole McConchie hit the boundary rope, Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad let out a roar and fist-bumped the air in joy.
The boundary at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday meant Bangladesh sealed their first-ever Twenty20 international series win against New Zealand with an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match rubber.
This also ensured that Bangladesh have now won three T20I series in a row after their triumphs against Zimbabwe and Australia.
Bangladesh had to cast out ghosts from the last match where they had been bowled out for 76, their lowest total at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
They did not allow things to repeat though they made a mountain out of a molehill chasing a target of 94.
They lost early wickets to be reduced to 32-3 inside batting powerplay, but in the end, managed to hold on courtesy of a steady knock of 43 from their skipper.
But Bangladesh’s real heroes were left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, who picked up four wickets each to dismantle the Kiwi batting lineup.
After opting to bat first, New Zealand were strangled first by the spin of Nasum, and then, the deceptive cutters from Mustafiz ensured that the visitors were bowled out for a meagre 93 in 19.3 overs,
Only Will Young could show some resistance among the Blackcaps batsmen as he scored 46 before Mustafiz eventually got the better of him in the final over of the innings.
New Zealand’s batting struggles were evident as only Tom Latham (21) and Finn Allen (12) besides Young managed to reach double figures.
Nasum achieved his career-best figures of four for only 10 runs. The left-arm spinner bowled 17 dot balls in his four-over spell, including a couple of maidens. Mustafiz also found his golden touch on the day as he conceded only 12 runs for his four wickets.
Both Mohammad Saifuddin and Mahedi Hasan picked up a wicket each, but Shakib Al Hasan failed to nick one as his wait to become the highest wicket-taker in T20I history went on.
Chasing a small total, Bangladesh faced early jitters as the Tigers lost Liton Das (6) in the second over and then Shakib (8) and Mushfiqur Rahim (0) in the last over of the powerplay.
A solid 35-run stand between Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and Naim Sheikh (29) brought some stability back, but all that seemed tarnished when Naim was run out trying to steal a tight couple.
But Mahmudullah, with some help from youngster Afif Hossain, ensured that the tricky chase was done with six wickets and five balls in hand.
New Zealand’s best bowler on the show was once again Ajaz Patel, who gave away only nine runs in his four overs and picked up a couple of wickets. The other wicket went to Cole McConchie, who was expensive on the night, costing 34 runs off just 3.1 overs.
Nasum was elected player of the match, whilst Mahmudullah was elected the most valuable player.
“The batsmen tried their hearts out. We just needed a good partnership which I and Naim tried to put together. Naim batted pretty well, and Afif finished it off quite well. We just needed that one partnership to chase it down,” Mahmudullah said after the match.
“We needed a partnership. Build as much as we can and then take the game as deep as possible,” he said.
The fifth and final match will be held on the same ground on Friday.
