Guptill ton sinks Tigers

Opener Martin Guptill authored his 15th ODI ton as New Zealand defeated Bangladesh in the first of the three-match ODI series by eight wickets at Napier.

The opener finished things in style at the end, hitting a six off Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to level the score before a single took New Zealand past Bangladesh's score. Ross Taylor remained unbeaten on 45 off 49 deliveries as he and Guptill combined in a 96-run third-wicket partnership. Guptill remained unbeaten on 117 off 116 deliveries with eight fours and four sixes.

Earlier Banlgadesh were bowled out for 232 runs. The Tigers stuttered at the start of the innings, losing four top-order batsmen in quick time. A complete  batting collapse looked on the cards but a eighth-wicket partnership between Mohammad Mithun and Mohammad Saifuddin saw them get past 200-run mark and put on a challenging total on the board. However a score of 232 was never going to be adequate on a surface offering true bounce and it was left to Guptill to produce a patient and controlled innings to see New Zealand run out winners in the first ODI.

Bangladesh: 232 all out (Mithun 62, Saifuddin 41, Boult 3/40, Santner 3/45)

New Zealand: 233/2 in 44.3 overs (Guptill 117*, Nicholls 53, Taylor 45*, Riyad 1/27)

Result: New Zealand win by eight wickets.

Guptill strikes ton

Martin Guptill strikes ton after he and Taylor starred in a fifty partnership for the third-wicket. The opener showed controlled aggression, never giving the Tigers a sniff of victory during his brilliant 100 off 103 deliveries. He laced his innings with six fours and three sixes. The surface was not easy to bat on, at times slowing down. Guptill kept his cool to author his 15th ODI ton as New Zealand crossed 200.

End of 35 overs, NZ 169/2

Martin Guptill is nearing his 15th ODI ton as New Zealand close in on Bangladesh's total. The hosts need 64 more runs form 15 overs.

LRPL Taylor 12 (20b)

MJ Guptill 90 (88b)

Mahmudullah 5-0-27-1

Mustafizur Rahman 6-0-23-0

28.5 - NZ 137/2, KS Williamson lbw b Mahmudullah 11 (22b 1x4 0x6) SR: 50.00

Mahmudullah Riyad gives Tigers their second breakthrough by taking the wicket of captain Kane Williamson. The ball skidded off the surface after pitching and perhaps did not bounce as much was expected. Williamson robbed back but missed the delivery. Riyad went up in appeal and decided on a review which was successful. Riyad has a knack for breaking partnerships and Williamson is a key wicket. 

New Zealand however are still sitting in a strong position with Guptill going strong. Ross Taylor is the new batsman at the crease. 

22.2 - NZ 103/1, Nicholls b Mehedi Hasan Miraz 53 (80b 5x4 0x6) SR: 66.25

Tigers make first breakthrough

New Zealand lost their first wicket as a Mehedi Miraz delivery took an inside edge and crashed onto his stumps. He fell after completing his half to and contributed with a 103-run opening stand.

New Zealand in control after solid start

New Zealand duo Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls starred in a fifty partnership for the opening stand -- their first fifty partnership for the opening stand since January 2018 --  as New Zealand remain in control of the match. 

End of 13 overs, NZ 50/0

MJ Guptill27 (33b)

HM Nicholls21 (45b)

Mashrafe Mortaza 7-0-25-0

Mustafizur Rahman 4-0-14-0

Tigers keep things tight

Runs have not been easy but New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls have started solidly in chase of the 233-run target set by the Tigers. 

End of six overs, New Zealand 19/0 

Guptill 9 (15b), Nicholls 8 (21b)

Mustafizur Rahman 1-0-2-0, Mashrafe Mortaza 3-0-6-0

Bangladesh bowled out for 232

Bangladesh were bowled out for 232 after it had looked like the score would not get past the 150-run mark at one point when they lost their sixth-wicket for just 94 runs. Mohammad Mithun (62) and Mohammad Saifuddin (41) produced contributed with a record eighth-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in ODIs which allowed the Tigers to claw their way back into the game after things were unraveling for the Tigers. 

Poor shot selection led to the unnecessary loss of wickets at crucial junctures after the New Zealand pace attack had made early inroads into the Tigers batting lineup. Mithun held the innings together with a commnedable and patient knock while all-rounder Saifuddin partnered him well to pull the Tigers out of trouble. Soumya Sarkar (30) and Mehedi Miraz (26) were the other contributors with the bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Tamim Iqbal, 1.2 ov), 2-19 (Liton Das, 4.1 ov), 3-42 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 7.6 ov), 4-42 (Soumya Sarkar, 8.2 ov), 5-71 (Mahmudullah, 17.2 ov), 6-94 (Sabbir Rahman, 22.3 ov), 7-131 (Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 28.6 ov), 8-215 (Mohammad Saifuddin, 44.5 ov), 9-229 (Mohammad Mithun, 47.1 ov), 10-232 (Mustafizur Rahman, 48.5 ov)

48.5 - Ban 232/10, Mustafizur Rahman b Boult 0 (6b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Mustafizur Rahman is the last wicket to fall as New Zealand bowl Bangladesh out for 232. A fuller-length delivery from Boult sneaks under Mustafizur's bat as Boult bags his third wicket of the game.

47.1, Ban 229/9,  Mohammad Mithun b Ferguson 62 (90b 5x4 0x6) SR: 68.88

Tigers nine down after Mithun's wicket

Mithun looks to slog. He misses and Lockie Ferguson hits as Tigers lose their ninth wicket. Mithun leaves after a handy knock.

44.5 - Ban 215/8, Mohammad Saifuddin c Guptill b Santner 41 (58b 3x4 0x6) SR: 70.68

Saifuddin falls after record partnership with Mithun

Mohammad Mithun and Mohammad Saifuddin clinched the record for the highest eighth-wicket stand for Bangladesh in ODIs. The partnership came about after an expensive over from Matt Henry. Saifuddin However could not carry on as he fell after a 58-ball 41, getting holed out at mid-wicket as the partnership ended on 84 runs. 

Mithun strikes 50

Mohammad Mithun provides lone voice of hope and reason as he struck 50 off 73 deliveries against New Zealand. He along with Mohammad Saifuddin have paired up in a meaningful eighth-wicket partnership after Mehedi's departure. Mithun struck four boundaries so far. Saifuddin has showed calm following some rash shots earlier as the duo put on 50 runs for the eighth-wicket.

End of 40 overs, Ban 181/7

End of 35 overs, Ban 161/7

Mohammad Saifuddin 12 (25b), Mohammad Mithun 40 (59b)

Neesham 5-0-20-0, Ferguson8-0-36-1

Mithun has been the lone one standing as the wickets fell from the other side. He is playing responsibly but is quickly running out of partners. Only Mashrafe and Fizz to follow after this. The Tigers need a big contribution from this pair.

28.6 - Ban 131/7, Mehedi Hasan Miraz c Neesham b Santner 26 (27b 3x4 1x6) SR: 96.29

Tigers continue reckless streak

Bangladesh have continued their reckless streak of falling to loose shots as Mehedi Miraz falls attempting to sweep a Santner delivery from way outside the off stumps. A batting debacle produced due to good showing of the New Zealand bowlers but also the poor shot selection from the batsmen. Miraz was looking good during his 27-ball 26 as he and Mithun put on a 37-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Mohammad Saifuddin is out at the crease. 

22.4 - Ban 94/6, Sabbir Rahman st Latham b Santner 13 (20b 2x4 0x6) SR: 65.00

Sabbir falls cheaply upon return

Sabbir Rahman slips, looking to execute the sweep shot and is stumped. All the batsman have found it easy to play their strokes but none have been able to capitalise on their starts. Bangladesh are struggling to keep a steady partnership as they lost their sixth wicket.

17.2 - Ban 71/5, Mahmudullah c Taylor b Ferguson 13 (29b 0x4 0x6) SR: 44.82

Tigers lose their fifth

Lockie Ferguson is bowling at over 150 km/h and Mahmudulah nicks one to first slip. His feet was not moving properly, unable to adjust to the pace of the wicket perhaps. Ross taylor at slip fumbles the first attempt but holds on in the second attempt. SAbbir Rahman is the new batsman at the crease. He gets going with two crisp drives for four.

End of 16 overs, Ban 61/4

Tigers look to recover after early stutter

Bangladesh are looking to recover after the loss of few early wickets. Since the wickets of Soumya and Mushfiqur, the run-rate has predictably dropped. Mahmudullah and Mithun have looked to curb their shot-playing on a surface offering good bounce to the seamers. The batsmen are finding it difficult to adjust to the pace too with the feet often not moving. 

Mohammad Mithun 9 (22b), Mahmudullah 9 (24b)

Ferguson 2-0-6-0, de Grandhomme 2-0-2-0

End of 10 overs, Ban 50/4 

Mohammad Mithun 5 (5b), Mahmudullah3 (5b)

Boult 5-0-24-2, Henry 5-1-25-2

Tigers lose Mushy and Soumya in quick succession

8.2 - Ban 42/4, Soumya Sarkar c & b Henry 30 (22b 5x4 1x6) SR: 136.36

7.6 - Ban 42/3, Mushfiqur Rahim b Boult 5 (14b 1x4 0x6) SR: 35.71

Bangladesh went for the counter-attack and it worked for a while but two back-to-back wickets have left them reeling.

Soumya Sarkar had struck a few sweetly-timed strokes since coming on. Since the loss of both openers, he has taken the attack to the New Zealand seamers Boult and Henry. Bangladesh are scoring at close to six per over thanks to Soumya's impressive shot-playing so far.

Started his innings with a beautiful pull shot off Boult and then caressed one through cove off Henry with similar confidence in the next over. Following Liton's dismissal Soumya took the attack to the bowlers, hitting two more fours off Boult before a huge six over square-leg off Henry.

Boult ruffled Mushfiqur's feathers with a bouncer that hit the helmet. That seemed to shake the experienced batsman as he ducked under one and left another alone before dragging one back onto his stumps. Soumya then went for the pull again off Henry but was bounced out.

Mahmudullah Riyad and Mohammad Mithun are at the crease at the moment.

4.1 - Ban 19/1, Liton Das b Henry 1 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 12.50

Both openers back in the hut

Opener Liton Das perished to a fine delivery from Matt Henry as the ball dirted back enough to go through the gap between bat and pad to castle the Bangladesh opener. Bangladesh are finding it difficult at the start here. Mushfiqur Rahim comes in to face the music.

1.2 - Ban 5/1, Tamim Iqbal c Latham b Boult 5 (6b 1x4 0x6) SR: 83.33

Tigers lose Tamim early

A magnificent delivery from Trent Boult squared Tamim up and the ball took the edge of the left-hander's bat as he looked to perhaps flick it towards square leg and went through to the wicket-keeper. Bangladesh have lost their first wicket early. Early proceedings suggest there is movement on this surface.

End of over 1, Ban 5/0

Tamim Iqbal got off to the mark in the first delivery of the innings with a boundary.

Toss

Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to bat first in the first ODI against New Zealand. There are two changes in the New Zealand side as they bring in the fit Martin Guptill for Munro, and Lockie Ferguson for Todd Astle. Sabbir Rahman returns to the Tigers squad after being on the sidelines for five months following an international ban.

Teams

 

New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Trent Boult

Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Mehedi Hasan Miraz, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Preview

Bangladesh will be looking to clinch their first-ever win in New Zealand soil when they take on Kane Williamson's side in the first of three ODIs at McLean Park in Napier today.

The last time the two teams came face to face in Tigers' favourite format, Bangladesh ran out winners by five wickets after a miraculous partnership from Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan of 224 runs -- Bangladesh's highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs -- snatched away victory from the jaws of defeat during the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017.

Absence of Shakib Al Hasan dominated headlines ahead of the ODI series after the ace all-rounder sustained an injury during the final of the recently concluded BPL. It led to the team just having two spinners in the squad in the form of Mehedi Miraz and Naeem Islam with coach Steve Rhodes suggesting that without Shakib there, New Zealand might even opt to make spin-friendly wickets for the series.

He also suggested that the task was harder now but maintained that the Tigers like being underdogs. Having won 10 of the 21 ODIs so far, Rhodes would like his team's chances.

While preparations were not the best for Bangladesh team this time around, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza reiterated that having mental strength would be key.

Bangladesh will be hoping that their 'key' man Mustafizur Rahman, aka the 'cuttermaster' hits gear early on in seam friendly conditions.

New Zealand have lost four of their last five ODIs following a 4-1 defeat to India in ODIs. Tigers meanwhile have the exact opposite record having won four of their last five ODIs.

Big news  from New Zealand's point of view is that hard-hitting Colin Munro -- who  ensured a T20 series victory against India with a fine knock -- has been left out of the squad for the first two ODIs.

Team News

New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Todd Astle, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Trent Boult

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Mehedi Hasan Miraz, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur Rahman