Bangladesh are 32/3 in 9.3 overs against New Zealand, with Najmul Hossain Shanto at the crease after a lively burst from the visitors. At 9.3, Ben Lister bowled a short ball outside off and Shanto chose to play it out, leaving the score unchanged.
Earlier in the over, at 9.2, Lister served a delivery that sat a touch fuller outside off. Shanto drove it through to mid off. At 9.1, another fullish ball from Lister—hovering near the tramline—was left alone by Shanto.
After that, New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke and Ben Lister kept the pressure on. At 8.6, O’Rourke found the outside-off channel with a length ball and Litton Das left it. At 8.5, O’Rourke pushed one into the surface around off; Das got into a slightly awkward position, but brought his bat down in time to guide it to gully.
At 8.4, O’Rourke shaped the ball full and outside off, with some movement back into the batter; Das defended to cover. Litton Das then came in as a replacement for Soumya Sarkar.
Before the change, at 8.3, O’Rourke struck: Soumya Sarkar was out. The ball was dragged back onto the stumps—O’Rourke bowled the hard length with minimal width outside off, and Sarkar went up on his toes to defend across. An inside edge found the stumps, ending the partnership and giving New Zealand a strong phase.
At 8.2, O’Rourke continued to target the corridor around off with a back-of-a-length delivery. Sarkar tried to pull, but the ball stayed fractionally low and beat him on the body. At 8.1, O’Rourke pitched it up outside off and, with little deviation, was punished—Sarkar lunged forward and drove through covers for four.
Bangladesh’s chase moved to 28/2 by 7.6. At 7.6, Ben Lister bowled a length ball outside off and Shanto let it go. At 7.5, Lister dropped one short around off; Sarkar used the angle to steer it to third man for a run. At 7.4, Lister was touch short and wide of off; Sarkar cut at it but couldn’t connect cleanly.
New Zealand XI
- Henry Nicholls
- Nick Kelly
- Will Young
- Tom Latham (captain)
- Muhammad Abbas
- Dean Foxcroft
- Josh Clarkson
- Nathan Smith
- Jayden Lennox
- William O’Rourke
- Ben Lister
Bangladesh XI
- Saif Hassan
- Tanzid Hasan Tamim
- Soumya Sarkar
- Najmul Hossain Shanto
- Towhid Hridoy
- Liton Das
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain)
- Tanvir Islam
- Shoriful Islam
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Nahid Rana
New Zealand, looking to earn a second consecutive series win in Bangladesh, brought left-arm pacer Ben Lister back into the side in place of Blair Tickner. Meanwhile, Bangladesh made two changes to their lineup: Mustafizur Rahman and left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam came in for Taskin Ahmed and Rishad Hossain.
Bangladesh had started the series poorly, losing the opener by 26 runs, but they bounced back with a six-wicket victory to level the contest, with fast bowler Nahid Rana producing a five-wicket haul. For the third and decisive ODI of the series, New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and elected to send Bangladesh in to bat on Thursday.
As the innings progressed, Bangladesh went through 7.3 overs at 27/2. At 7.3, Lister bowled a length delivery onto the stumps, and Sarkar defended firmly. At 7.2, Lister pulled the length back and angled it into the batter; Sarkar stayed back to keep it out. At 7.1, Lister overpitched outside off and Sarkar made him pay, cutting it through point for four.
By 6.6 overs, Bangladesh were 23/2. At 6.6, O’Rourke brought the ball closer to the off pole with a length delivery; Shanto blocked. At 6.5, another length ball around off from O’Rourke was guided away to gully by Shanto. At 6.4, O’Rourke hit the back of a length on middle and off, and Shanto stood tall to pull it to mid-wicket for a boundary.
At 6.3, O’Rourke shortened and kept it on middle; Shanto sat under it. At 6.2, O’Rourke again used a length ball around off, and Shanto knocked it to cover. At 6.1, with good length outside off, Shanto considered punching but ultimately withdrew his bat.
At 5.6, Nathan Smith bowled a bye after a slower ball outside off; Shanto left it, and Tom Latham fumbled to collect it as it rolled away. At 5.5, Smith pushed a fuller delivery on middle; Shanto turned it to mid-wicket. At 5.4, Smith served a touch fuller ball around off and Shanto reached for it, punching down the ground for four.
At 5.3, Nathan Smith sent one full and wide outside off. Sarkar met it with a lifted cover drive, but it didn’t find the middle; he settled for a single. At 5.2, Smith pushed it full and onto middle and off; Sarkar drove nicely but found the mid off fielder. At 5.1, Smith bowled a lively angle from a length outside off; the ball nipped away and just beat the edge of Sarkar’s defensive push.
At 4.6, O’Rourke overstepped the mark with a too-full length around off, and Shanto drove off the inner half, sending it wide of mid on for two. At 4.5, O’Rourke kept it wide on a length outside off; Sarkar played a flashy drive, but the outside edge carried to gully for one.
At 4.4, O’Rourke delivered a good length slightly wide; Sarkar reached for the toe end and found mid-wicket. At 4.3, another hard length outside off was punched by Sarkar to cover. At 4.2, O’Rourke pitched it up on middle, angling into Sarkar; he leaned and defended to mid-wicket. At 4.1, O’Rourke bashed it into the surface outside off; Sarkar tried to defend on his toes but missed.
In the 3rd over’s early stage, at 3.6, Nathan Smith bowled a similar length around middle and leg; Shanto defended right under his eyes. At 3.5, Smith used a skiddy length on middle, and Shanto blocked. At 3.4, Smith pushed a fuller ball around off; Sarkar flicked it to the left of mid-wicket for a single. At 3.3, Smith sent it slightly short around off; Sarkar tapped to point. At 3.2, Smith bowled on a length outside off; Sarkar knocked it to point. At 3.1, Smith delivered fuller around off; Sarkar pushed it to cover.
At 2.6, O’Rourke floated an overpitched ball outside off, and Shanto went for a drive but mistimed it back to the bowler.
