Black Caps vs Bangladesh live: New Zealand look to win Twenty20 after big ODI loss

NZ Herald

27 Dec, 2023 05:30 AM4 mins to read

Tim Southee takes a catch to dismiss Bangladesh player Rony Talukdar. Photo / Photosport

Bangladesh have won their maiden Twenty20 in New Zealand, against New Zealand.

Defending 135 for victory, the Black Caps got off to a good start with Tim Southee catching Rony Talukdar at mid-on for 10 after he skied a delivery from Adam Milne.

Bangladesh looked on top for most of their innings but two quick wickets late rocked the visitors. Santner bagged the breakthrough wicket of Towhid Hridoy in the thirteenth before Southee snared Hossain the following over. The bowler came close to a second a few balls later with an LBW given out before being overturned after it was reviewed by Hasan, leaving Bangladesh with 37 from 30 balls.

Litton Das starred for Bangladesh, scoring a team-high 42. He was joined at the crease by Talukdar (10), Hossain Shato (19), Sarkar (22), ] Hridoy (19), and Hasan (19) who provided valuable runs, while Hossain got dismissed for just one run. Hasan brought up the winning runs with a four.

The two sides meet again at Mount Maunganui for the second and third T20s on Friday and Sunday respectively.

Follow the action below.

The ACC will be live and onsite at BAY OVAL for December 29 and December 31 – and will have its own end of the ground: The ACC Caravan Festival End. Anyone can join the ACC End. The first 200 get a free Steady the Ship hat and a free Sports Ear to listen to the commentary.

Black Caps coach Gary Stead shed light on the decisions to not play Williamson and Jamieson, emphasising the need for the pair to be in peak condition for the impending tests.

“We want both Kane and Kyle to be in the best possible place leading into the next block of Test cricket against South Africa and Australia. Based on discussions with the medical staff and the players, it was decided a period of rehabilitation and conditioning was the best option for both of them.”

This series would have marked a return to T20 action for Williamson, who last played a T20I on November 20 last year, against India in Mount Maunganui.

Mitchell Santner will step into the captaincy role in Williamson’s absence, having previously led the team on 14 occasions in international cricket. The squad will welcome the inclusion of Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy, handpicked as replacements for the sidelined duo.

Stead expressed confidence in the new additions, explaining, “Jacob is an experienced T20 cricketer and always brings a lot when he is part of the Black Caps environment. He’s worked very hard on his white ball skills in recent seasons. Rachin adds to any environment he’s a part of and has a great desire to learn and develop his game - across all three formats.”

The series kicks off in Napier, where Bangladesh dismantled the Kiwis four days earlier in the final ODI of the visit. The T20 is followed by two matches in Mount Maunganui on December 29 and 31.

In a surprising turn of events, Bangladesh proved their prowess in the final ODI series match with a nine-wicket victory in Napier. It followed two previous defeats to the Black Caps, losing by 44 in Dunedin and by seven wickets in Nelson.

In Napier, the visitors’ seamers, led by Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Soumya Sarkar, destroyed New Zealand for a paltry 98, securing Bangladesh’s first-ever ODI victory against New Zealand on their home turf.

Despite the setback, Stead remains optimistic about the upcoming T20 series, highlighting the team’s commitment to bouncing back. The replacements, Ravindra and Duffy, bring a fresh dynamic to the squad, and with Santner at the helm, the Black Caps aim to regain their form and put up a spirited fight against a determined Bangladesh side.

All eyes are on Napier as the cricketing drama unfolds tomorrow as it match kicks off at 7.10pm.