Chattogram, April 27 Bangladesh pulled off a record 183-run chase to beat New Zealand in the first T20I in Chattogram, sealing victory with 12 balls to spare — their highest successful chase at home.
Towhid Hridoy led the chase with an unbeaten 51 off 27 balls, his sixth T20I half-century. This knock was also a response to recent criticism. Parvez Hossain Emon (28 off 14) and Shamim Hossain, who finished the game with a blistering 31 not out off 13 balls, were big supporters of his. Bangladesh's start was slow.
Tanzid Hasan got off to a rough start when Ish Sodhi dropped him, but he was able to get back on track. Saif Hassan, on the other hand, fell for 17 runs off 16 balls to Nathan Smith. Captain Litton Das scored 21 runs, but by the ninth over, Bangladesh was still scoring at about seven runs per over. Sodhi then got Litton and Tanzid (20) out in back-to-back overs, which stopped the chase. After that, the momentum changed a lot.
Hridoy launched Sodhi for a six, while Parvez followed with a four and a slog-swept six as 18 runs came off the over. The pair added 57 for the fourth wicket before Parvez fell in the 15th over, leaving Bangladesh needing 49 from 5.1 overs.
Shamim’s late surge was crucial. He started with a no-look six off Smith, while Hridoy kept the pressure on. Matthew Fisher gave away 25 runs in the 17th over, including two no-balls and a wide, as Bangladesh raced ahead to complete the chase easily.
Earlier, New Zealand scored 182 for 6 after a solid start. Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver led the way, adding 88 runs for the second wicket. Cleaver hit a half-century before getting out lbw to Rishad Hossain, while Clarke also made his fifty before being dismissed in the 12th over.
Rishad played a key role in Bangladesh’s comeback, also being part of the dismissal of Bevon Jacobs, while Mahedi Hasan sent Dean Foxcroft back to the pavilion for three runs.
Stand-in captain Nick Kelly provided a late boost with 39 runs off 27 balls, hitting five fours and a six. However, New Zealand’s total was not enough on a batting-friendly pitch. Despite scoring 182 for 6, the visitors were caught off guard by Bangladesh’s late charge, as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 182/6 in 20 overs (Katene Clarke 51, Dane Cleaver 51; Rishad Hossain 2-32, Shoriful Islam 1-36) lost to Bangladesh 183/4 in 18 overs (Tawhid Hridoy 51, Shamim Hossain 31; Ish Sodhi 2-31) by six wickets
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