New Zealand staged a strong recovery to beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-affected third T20 on Saturday, bringing the three-match series level at 1-1. After the earlier meeting was abandoned with Bangladesh winning by six wickets, this contest swung decisively in New Zealand’s favour once the chase gained momentum.
Match situation and revised chase
- Bangladesh won the toss and were put in to bat first, but their innings struggled to get going and they were 50 for 3 in 6.4 overs when rain interrupted play.
- The delay lasted more than two hours, with the game reduced to a 15-over chase for New Zealand.
- In the revised target, New Zealand were set 103 runs in 15 overs, yet an early collapse left them reeling at 25 for 3.
- Shoriful Islam played a key role in the breakthrough, removing several batters in quick succession, and stand-in captain Nick Kelly fell soon after as the hosts slipped further to 33 for 4.
- Bevon Jacobs then took charge, striking an unbeaten 62 off just 31 balls to turn the chase completely.
- Jacobs’ innings featured five fours and three sixes, and with his acceleration New Zealand reached 104 for 4 in 11.4 overs.
Jacobs kept the pressure on even when Bangladesh tried to respond with continued attacks from Shoriful. The turning point came as Jacobs struck back with aggressive hitting, including back-to-back boundaries off Litton Das, shifting the momentum decisively toward New Zealand.
Jacobs brought up his half-century from 29 deliveries and sealed the result with a boundary and a six to finish the chase in style. Shoriful Islam, despite being on the losing side, recorded impressive figures of 3 for 19.
Bangladesh innings derailed after restart
- Bangladesh began poorly and were already struggling at 50 for 3 in 6.4 overs before the rain pause.
- After the restart, Bangladesh attempted to force the issue from the start, but the approach backfired.
- They lost their last seven wickets for only 39 runs in 35 balls.
- Bangladesh were eventually dismissed for 102 in 14.2 overs.
Towhid Hridoy was the top scorer with 33, while Litton Das made 26 and Saif Hassan contributed 16. No other batter managed to reach double figures.
Key bowling contributions for New Zealand
Josh Clarkson delivered the standout bowling spell for New Zealand, taking a career-best 3 for 9 from two overs. Ben Sears and Nathan Smith claimed two wickets each, while Ish Sodhi chipped in with a wicket. Sodhi also moved ahead as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in men’s T20 internationals, finishing with 165 wickets to surpass Tim Southee’s 164.
