Kiwis bundled out for their joint-lowest T20I score
Mustafziur Rahman picked up three wickets as Bangladesh bundled out an inexperienced New Zealand side for their joint-lowest T20I score in the first of their five T20Is at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.
New Zealand managed to score 60 in 16.5 overs. New Zealand were previosuly bundled out for the same score during a T20I World Cup game against Sri Lanka back in 2014 in Chattogram.
Bangladesh bowlers ran riot in a slow, low and gripping Mirpur pitch with the spinners reducing the visitors to four for just nine runs in four overs.
New Zealand skipper Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls then stitched together a 34-run fifth-wicket stand but the duo never looked comfortable out in the middle, struggling to time the ball due to the slowness of the pitch. The partnership ended inevitably when Latham mistimed a pull shot off the bowling of Mohammad Saifuddin in the 11th over.
With Mustafizur joining the party at the latter stage of the innings, the Kiwis kept on losing quick wickets and were eventually bundled out for a paltry total. Mustafizur remained the pick of the bowlers, scalping three for 13 in 2.5 overs.
Spinner Shakib Al Hasan and Nasum Ahmed and all-rounder Saifuddin picked up two wickets each.
For New Zealand, Nicholls and Latham both scored 18 and were the only two batsmen two have crossed the double-figure mark.
Fizz joins the party
[Wicket] 14.1 Overs; NZ 52/8: Left-hander Ajaz Patel played across the line and Mustafizu Rahman's inswinger knocks the stumps off. The Fizz joins the party and this could be over very soon for the visitors.
Saifuddin removes Nicholls
[Wicket] 12.6 Overs; NZ 49/7: Henry Nicholls lofts a Mohammad Saifuddin delivery straight to the fielder at long on. New Zealand lose their seventh wicket and could be on their way to be bundled out for an embarrassing total.
Kiwis six down for 45
[Wicket] 11.4 Overs; NZ 45/6: Shakib Al Hasan gets his second wicket of the game as debutant Cole McConchie chips one straight to short midwicket.
[Wicket] 10.5 Overs; NZ 43/5: Mohammad Saifuddin picks up the wicket of New Zealand's stand-in skipper Tom Latham. It was there to be hit but Latham mistimes the pull shot and ends up giving a catch to fine leg. After losing four quick wickets, Latham and Henry Nicholls were rebuilding but their 34-run partnership ended as New Zealand find themselves in a precarious situation.
Kiwis lose four before hitting double digit
[Wicket] 3.6 Overs; NZ 9/4: Nasum Ahmed strikes for the second time in the same over. An arm ball from the left-arm spinner forced the right-hander Tom Blundell to move on his back foot to cut it. However, he misses and the ball went on to hit the top of his odd stump.
[Wicket] 3.3 Overs; NZ 8/3: Nasum Ahmed joins the party. Nasum gets the prized wicket of Colin de Grandhomme. The right-hander got down on one knee and tried to sweep the ball for a four but gave a simple catch to the fielder at deep square.
[Wicket] 2.5 Overs; NZ 7/2: Shakib Al Hasan strikes. An outside off delivery, turning away from the right-hander Will Young and the batsman tried to play it on the off-side but could not connect well as the ball kept low. The right-hander gets an inside edge, dragging the ball onto his stumps. Bangladesh get two early wickets.
Ravindra out for a golden duck on debut
[Wicket] 0.3 Overs; NZ: 1/1: Offspinner Mahedi Hasan picks up the wicket of debutant Rachin Ravindra early. Facing his first ball in the international arena, the 21-year-old Ravindra gave a simple return catch to the bowler as he played early at a good length delivery that came into the left-hander. Ravindra is out for a golden duck on debut and Bangladesh have early success.
Kiwis to bat in first T20I
New Zealand have won the toss and elected to bat first against Bangladesh in the first of the five-match T20I series at Sher--e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.
Soumya Sarkar and Shamim Hossain make way for the return of Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim into the side. Shoriful Islam was replaced by Mohammad Saifuddin, who also played in the fifth and final T20I against Australia.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have handed debuts to all-rounder Cole McConchie and batsman Rachin Ravindra.
A big focal point ahead of the start of the game is Tamim Iqbal's decision to opt out of the upcoming T20 World Cup in UAE. The left-hander have not played in T20Is for the last 17 months and felt it would be fair to give other openers who featured more regularly in recent times a chance to shine.
"I just called and talked over the phone with our board president [Nazmul Hassan] Papon bhai and chief selector [Minhajul Abedin] Nannu bhai. I shared a few things with them which I think I should share with everyone. I told them that I do not think I should be in the [T20] World Cup team. I am basically not available for the World Cup," Tamim said in a Facebook live from his official account today.
Squads:
Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Nurul Hasan (wk), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, Will Young, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham (capt&wk), Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Doug Bracewell, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Ajaz Patel