New Zealand thump Bangladesh
Lockie Ferguson took two wickets off his first two balls in T20Is and helped restrict Bangladesh to 141. Williamson took over thereafter to seal a six-wicket win
Lockie Ferguson took two wickets off his first two balls in T20Is and helped restrict Bangladesh to 141. Williamson took over thereafter to seal a six-wicket win
10.10pm New year, new format, but Bangladesh's woes in New Zealand continue. They slump to their fourth successive loss in New Zealand.
Mahmudullah's spunky fifty perked up the visitors to 141, but the bowlers and fielders were not up to the mark. Sarkar and Kayes misjudged what could have been regulation catches at the edge of the boundary. Instead, they veered in (at least 10 yards) and watched the ball sail over them to the boundary.
Kane Williamson led New Zealand's chase with a serene 73 not out - his career-best score in T20 internationals. De Grandhomme then hastened the victory with a flurry of violent blows. Shakib's stunning hokey-pokey catch, though, was the play of the day.
Mashrafe, Bangladesh captain: 15-20 runs short. Mahmudullah batted well, but we could have scored more. We got some early wickets, but Williamson batted really well, and Grandhomme supported him well. We fought well in the last ten overs with the bat, and in the first ten overs with the ball.
Kane Williamson, New Zealand captain and Man of the Match: I suppose it would have nice to do it with more efficiency. We lost some wickets in between, but credit to the bowling attack for setting the tone. The way Colin came out and the partnership at the end was fantastic. Wheeler has done it for CD; great to see him at the international level. Lockie came in and bowled fast. Santner and Colin, the slower bowlers, also showed good signs going into the next one. Good support from the crowd.
That is all we have for you from this game. Thanks for reading. Until next time, goodbye and good night
Plays of the day from the first T20I between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Napier
Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's captain, rued the lack of support for Mahmudullah, whose 52 helped drag the team to 141 after they had slumped to 30 for 4 in the first T20I against New Zealand
Lockie Ferguson took two wickets off his first two balls in T20Is and helped restrict Bangladesh to 141. Williamson took over thereafter to seal a six-wicket win
Bangladesh will hope a new format and a new year can rejuvenate their dismal tour of New Zealand as they prepare for the three-match T20I series
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has backed the selection of Soumya Sarkar and Shuvagata Hom, saying the decisions were taken based on Sarkar's ability as a match-winner and to maintain stability in the side with consistent selections