Published: May 17, 2017, 07:00 PM (IST)
Edited: May 17, 2017, 07:10 PM (IST)
Bangladesh locked horns with New Zealand in the third ODI of the Tri-Nation series. Opting to bowl, Tom Latham invited Mashrafe Mortaza‘s side to bat. Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar laid a promising foundation, but Bangladesh were made to work hard in the middle overs. From 190 for 5 in 40 overs, Mortaza’s side managed only 257 for 9 in their full quota of overs, riding on half-centuries from Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. Bangladesh will will fancy their chances of restricting their opponents, who are without some key players. Hamish Bennett (10-1-31-3) was the standout bowler of the day so far, while Mitchell Santner (10-1-37-1) and Ish Sodhi (10-1-40-2) were chipped in with economical spells and James Neesham (9-0-68-2) chipped in with a few wickets. Live Cricket Scorecard: Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI, Ireland tri-series 2017
Earlier, Sarkar took on New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers Seth Rance and Bennett, making his intentions clear. On the other hand, Tamim bought time in the middle and allowed Sarkar to free his arms. Adding 72 runs inside 16 overs, the duo looked set to take the team’s total over 270. However, Neesham made the first breakthrough as Tamim fell for 23. Sabbir Rahman also perished soon before Mushfiqur and Sarkar mended things for their side.
Sarkar was kept quiet for a brief period by Sodhi and Santner. Losing patience, he top-edged a sweep and perished for 61. Shakib Al Hasan faltered again, and at one stage Bangladesh were 132 for 4 in 28.4 overs. With wickets tumbling, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah held their ends and stitched a valuable 49-run stand with the former attacking. Mushfiqur eventually fell for a 66-ball 55; the onus fell on Mahmudullah.
Neesham and Santner continued to keep the opposition at bay by mixing their lengths and bowling at the stumps. Santner, with a 5-for in the previous outing, was in full control, and even bowled a maiden over at the death. A collective bowling effort, especially Bennett’s late dismissals, pulled things back for the Black Caps; they will now go all out in the second innings. This can still be a tricky total for them with a spirited bowling line-up of the Bangladeshis. Mosaddek Hossain’s late blitz have given them a respectable score and they will eye their first win of the series with the ball.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh 257 for 9 in 50 overs (Soumya Sarkar 61, Mushfiqur Rahim 55, Mahmudullah 51; Hamish Bennett 3 for 32, Ish Sodhi 2 for 40, Mitchell Santner 1 for 36) vs New Zealand.
