BD suffer a 67-run humiliation at Nelson

Bangladesh lost the best chance to beat the Blackcaps in their own backyard and the 3-match series 2-0 when they crumbled to a 67-run defeat at Saxton Oval, Nelson today.

Chasing 252 on a placid track, Bangladesh looked like they were cruising with Sabbir Rahman and Imrul Kayes at the crease. After Sabbir was run out in the 23rd over in a comical manner with the score at 2-105, Bangladesh batsmen pressed the panic button and got out one after another. Bangladesh lost their last eight wickets for 79 runs in nearly 10 overs primarily due to senseless batting.

Although Mahmudullah Riyad got a peach of a yorker from Lockie Ferguson, rest of the batsmen played outrageous shots with no score-board pressure since the chase was never too tall. When they were dismissed quite quickly by the New Zealand bowlers, they looked more like amateurs utterly out of their league rather than responsible professionals trying to take their country to the cusp of history by beating the hosts for the first time in New Zealand.

From the school-boy running between the wickets by two set batsmen to the clumsiness in playing Kane Willianson’s part-time bowling, the lack of application and, more importantly commonsense will haunt the fans of Bangladesh cricket who were unfortunate enough to witness the hara-kiri live on screen.

Imrul got a life in the 25th over when Ferguson made a mess of a dolly. However the opener was dismissed for 59 from 89 balls, and Bangladesh came apart at the seams at 6-136 inside 32 overs. Sabbir scored 38 from 49 balls with two fours and three sixes to his name, but was the victim of the run-out in the 23rd over that seemed to turn the tide for Blackcaps.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain and Tanbir Hayder were all sent back for hardly any runs to their names by the New Zealand captain Williamson. Nurul Hasan played one incredible ramp shot for six over third man, but his 24 from 31 was not enough to halt the slide.

In the end, the visitors were all out for 184 in 42.4 overs, to the absolute disappointment of Bangladesh cricket followers at home and around the world.

For the Blackcaps, Kane Williamson was the most successful bowler for his side, as his 3-22 in five overs ripped the heart out of Bangladesh’s lower-middle order. Trent Boult and Tim Southee took two wickets each.

Earlier today, Bangladesh bowlers appeared to have learnt the lessons from the first ODI as they dismissed New Zealand for a manageable 251 off the last ball of the innings in the second ODI at the Saxton Oval.

The total might have been even less on a good batting pitch were it not for a dropped chance by keeper Nurul Hasan off centurion Neil Broom in the penultimate over off the bowling of Subhasish with the score on 235 for nine.

In the last over, Taskin Ahmed made a comical mess of a simple run out attempt when he failed to collect an underarm throw from the keeper with Trent Boult well short of his ground. Seven runs later, off the last ball of the innings, Taskin got it right and managed to run out Boult after the tailender missed a length ball and set off for a hail-Mary single. 

Broom’s unbeaten 107-ball 109 with eight fours and three sixes was his maiden ODI century after making his ODI return to the national team in the first ODI after a gap of eight years. 

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza had no hesitation in choosing to bowl in overcast conditions on a pitch with a greenish tinge when he won the toss, and justified the decision almost immediately by trapping opener Martin Guptill in front with an inswinger off the fourth ball of the match.

That breakthrough came after Bangladesh wasted their only review in the previous ball, with umpire Paul Reiffel’s not-out decision to a leg-before shout standing after replays showed that the ball struck the right-hander outside the off stump. 

Subhasish, one of three Bangladeshi debutants along with Nurul and Tanbir Hayder, started off well at the other end, utilising the movement on offer in the air and off the pitch while bowling at decent pace. He troubled New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson with incoming deliveries and could have had his man when an inswinger ballooned off the leading edge to the right of the bowler, who dropped a chance made difficult by him going the other way.

But Williamson soon departed to Taskin Ahmed, the most improved bowler, as he needed to be in the absence of Mustafizur Rahman who was rested from the match as he is making his back from shoulder surgery. 

The wicket of Williamson followed a string of 18 successive deliveries bowled by Subhasish and Taskin that the batsmen could not score off, and a frustrated Kiwi skipper responded with a limp attempt at a slog that made it as far as mid on. Taskin bowled impressively, keeping the ball up to the bat instead of getting carried away with the pace and bounce in the pitch as he did in Christchurch. 

Williamson’s departure at 37 for two brought in Broom, but Tom Latham -- the centurion in the first match -- departed 10 runs later in the 14th over when Shakib Al Hasan beat an attempted sweep and hit him in front of middle. Latham wasted his team’s solitary review as the ball was shown to be clipping leg stump, and the first out decision by the fourth debutant in the match -- umpire Chris Brown -- was upheld. 

A 51-run fourth-wicket partnership followed between Broom and Neesham in 9.4 overs, but just as New Zealand were looking to run away with it, Neesham stepped out to Mosaddek Hossain and was easily stumped, giving Nurul his first dismissal. Mashrafe then brought himself on and bowled a peach that swung in late and beat the left-handed Colin Munro’s defence to have the other performer in the first match back in the hut.

From 107 for five in the 26 th over, Broom built the most threatening partnership of the innings – a 64-run stand with Luke Ronchi that came off just 12 overs. Again however, just when New Zealand threatened to let loose -- when they had taken 28 runs off the previous 14 balls – Bangladesh struck back through Taskin when Ronchi closed his face and offered a leading edge to the midwicket fielder inside the circle. 

Broom, who had reached his 50 off 60 balls, was unperturbed at the other end and hitting some lovely shots. Mitchell Santner came in and hit a six over deep backward point off Mashrafe in the 41st over, but became Subhashis’s maiden wicket two overs later when he was hurried into a pull and was caught at midwicket.

At 198 for seven, Broom began to take charge, hitting boundaries off Tanbir in the 44th over and off Subhashis in the 45th as he moved into the 90s. Tim Southee, however, became Shakib’s second wicket when he chased a widish delivery and edged behind to Nurul to leave New Zealand at 214 for eight in the 46th.  

Broom however was not to be denied, hitting a remarkable swept six over square leg off Mashrafe in the next over, and took a single to get to 99. He would have had his heart in his throat when Lockie Ferguson was ninth man out two balls later, edging a hook behind, but Boult survived the next ball, allowing Broom to bring up his maiden ton off the 101st ball he faced.  

SCORES IN BRIEF:

New Zealand: 251 all out in 50 overs (Broom 109 not out, Ronchi 35, Neesham 28; Mashrafe 3-49, Taskin 2-45, Shakib 2-45, Subhasish 1-45)

Bangladesh: 184 all out in 42. 4 overs (Imrul 59, Sabbir 38, Nurul 24, Kane 3-22, Boult 2-26. Southee 2-33)

Result: New Zealand win by 67 runs