Chattogram, April 27: Bangladesh secured a convincing victory against New Zealand, winning by six wickets in the first T20 International match on Monday. Chasing a target of 183 runs set by New Zealand, Bangladesh reached the target in just 18 overs, losing four wickets in the process.
Bangladesh’s innings began steadily with Saif Hasan and Tanzid Hasan Tamim contributing to a solid start. The pair added 41 runs for the first wicket before Saif was dismissed for 17 runs off 16 balls. Tanzid struggled, scoring 20 runs off 25 balls before being bowled out by Ish Sodhi.
Liton Das, batting at number three, failed to capitalize on the good start, scoring 21 runs off 15 balls before falling to Sodhi’s bowling. Following this, Towhid Hridoy and Parvez Hossain took charge, forming a crucial partnership of 57 runs for the fourth wicket in just 28 balls. Parvez scored 28 runs off 14 balls before getting out, but Hridoy found a reliable partner in Shamim Hossain. Shamim played a quickfire innings, scoring an unbeaten 31 runs off just 13 balls.
Together, they forged an unbroken partnership of 49 runs in 19 balls. Hridoy showcased his batting prowess, scoring a powerful 51 runs off 27 balls, including two fours and three sixes, leading his team to victory. For New Zealand, Ish Sodhi was the standout bowler, claiming two wickets for 40 runs, while Josh Clarkson and Nathan Smith took one wicket each.
Earlier, New Zealand batted first, posting a total of 182 runs after losing six wickets in their 20 overs. Their innings got off to a rocky start as Tim Robinson was run out without scoring. However, Caton Clark and Dane Cleaver stabilized the innings with a vital partnership of 88 runs for the second wicket. Clark scored a solid 51 runs off 37 balls, while Cleaver matched him with 51 runs off just 28 balls, hitting seven fours and one six.
Nick Kelly, captaining the team in the absence of Tom Latham, contributed 39 runs off 27 balls, including five fours and one six. In the closing overs, Josh Clarkson added an unbeaten 27 runs off 14 balls, featuring two fours and one six.
For Bangladesh, Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets for just 32 runs in his four overs. Mehdi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Tanzid Hasan each claimed one wicket. With this victory, Bangladesh takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20 series.
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