UNB, Dhaka: Bangladesh registered their second consecutive win against New Zealand in the ongoing five-match T20I series on Friday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
New Zealand needed 28 runs off the last 12 balls, with Tom Latham was batting at 52 and McConchie at eight.
Mohammad Saifuddin conceded only eight runs off the 19th over, and in the last over, Mustaifzur Rahman gave away 15 runs with a no-ball-four, and Bangladesh pulled up their second consecutive T20I win over New Zealand by four runs.
The visitors failed to have a good start while chasing a challenging target of 142 runs as they lost two wickets inside 20 runs.
The first wicket, Rachin Ravindra, was taken by Shakib Al Hasan for 10, and he was partnered well by Mahedi Hasan, who removed Tom Blundell for 6. But Latham and Will Young recovered well in the second wicket when they added 43 off 47 balls.
Young fell for 22 off 28 as Shakib’s second wicket, but Latham kept the scoreboard afloat. He eventually remained unbeaten for 65 off 49 balls but failed to seal the game for the visitors.
New Zealand ended up on 137 for five in 20 overs.
In the last over, New Zealand needed to score 20 to level the series. They were given a good chance when Mustafizur conceded a four in a no-ball in the last over, and their target came down to eight off the last two balls, but they failed to achieve that.
For Bangladesh, Shakib and Mahedi bagged two wickets each while Nasum Ahmed took one. Mustafizur gave away 34 runs without any luck.
Earlier, Bangladesh made a good start after winning the toss and opted to bat first as Liton Das and Mohammad Naim put up a 59-run stand at the opening. Their steady stays were a clear indication of a better wicket in Mirpur.
But Bangladesh’s progress stumbled when Liton fell prey to Rachin, and off the next ball, Mushfiqur Rahim was stumped by a great job behind by the stumps by the New Zealand captain Latham.
Shakib also failed to continue on a good run. He fell prey to Cole McConchie scoring 12 of seven balls with two fours. It looked an easy catch for the debutant Ben Sears, but he missed it at the first chance. He managed to get it at the second chance after the ball bounced on his leg.
After Shakib’s dismissal, Afif Hossain also returned to the dressing quickly. He managed to score only three in three balls.
Mahmudullah was firm at the other end of the wicket and remained unbeaten for 37 off 32 balls with five fours. He was accompanied by Nurul Hasan Sohan at the sixth wicket stand when Bangladesh added 32 off 22 balls. Before getting dismissed off the last ball of the innings, Sohan scored 13 off nine balls.
For New Zealand, spinner Rachin bagged three wickets conceding 22 runs while Ajaz Patel, Cole McConchie and Hamish Bennett took one wicket each.
The next matches of the series will take place on September 5, 8 and 10 at the same venue. All the matches will be played at 4 p.m. Bangladesh time.
