Halfway through the chase in Dhaka on Monday, Bangladesh would have felt a familiar tug in the stomach. Just three days earlier, they had been in the same kind of situation—chasing a total below 250—and fell short, leaving New Zealand to strike first in a three-match ODI series. The second game offered another awkward mirror: New Zealand set an even lower target after folding to 198, but this time Bangladesh’s batting discipline held its nerve, ensuring the bowlers’ hard work did not go to waste.
New Zealand’s innings was dismantled by pacer Nahid Rana, whose spell of 5 for 32 broke the visitors’ rhythm even as opener Nick Kelly kept fighting. Kelly struck 83 off 102 balls, but once the momentum shifted, wickets arrived in clusters. Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain then stamped their authority with half-centuries to complete the turnaround and bring Bangladesh level in the series. The only sour note for the hosts came when Najmul Hossain’s cramps forced him to retire hurt, yet the damage had already been done—Bangladesh finished the job with wickets in hand.
Rana made the early inroads, reducing New Zealand to 28 for 2 by the end of the tenth over. Brief resistance followed, and Kelly was central to it, adding 56 runs with Muhammad Abbas and then another 37 with Dean Foxcroft. However, Shoriful Islam ended Kelly’s bid for a century in the 37th over, removing him for 83. From that point, New Zealand’s batting collapsed steadily, slipping from 145 for 5 to 198 all out.
Abbas’s 19 stood out as the second-best contribution on a tough day for the New Zealand batting card. When Bangladesh began their chase, they lost Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar within the first four overs, but the recovery came quickly through a 120-run partnership for the third wicket between Najmul and Tanzid. Tanzid set the tone early after those early setbacks, smashing Nathan Smith for two sixes in the fifth over. Najmul followed with sharp boundaries as well, including two fours off William O’Rourke in the sixth over.
The scoring rate stayed comfortably on track. Bangladesh raced to 67 for 2 after 10 overs, maintaining a clear cushion over the required pace. New Zealand’s bowling plans—so effective in the opening match—did not land with the same control this time. Blair Tickner, the pacer who had troubled the hosts in the first fixture, was hit hard again, finishing with figures of 0 for 35 from five overs. Tom Latham tried to apply pressure through spin as well, but the batters kept moving forward.
By 20 overs, Bangladesh had advanced to 124 for 2, and the stand finally came under threat in the 23rd over when left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox struck. Even then, the chase was beyond New Zealand’s reach by that stage. Lennox also took the wicket of Litton Das, and Najmul had to walk off due to cramps. With the game already tilted, Towhid Hridoy held firm, remaining unbeaten on 30 off 31 balls, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz saw Bangladesh through in the 36th over.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 198 (48.4 overs) — Nick Kelly 83; Nahid Rana 5-32. Bangladesh 199/4 (35.3 overs) — Tanzid Hasan Tamim 76; Najmul Hossain Shanto 50. Bangladesh won by 6 wickets.
