Chennai, Oct 13: Bangladesh were 225/9 in 48 overs against New Zealand in the 11th match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, here on Friday.
Dependable Litton Das was back in pavilion in the very first ball of the match. He unusually tried to play a big shot against experienced left-arm Kiwis bowling spearhead Trent Boult on the first ball he faced. But offered a catch to Matt Henry, with Bangladesh getting a 0/1 shock from the start.
The oher opener Tanzid Hasan too had a short stay in the middle. He was claimed by pacer Lockie Ferguson, caught at square leg by Devon Conway. A soft dismissal again, putting Bangladesh into more misery.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (30 in 46 balls) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (7 in 8 balls) too departed early, reducing Bangladesh to 56/4 in 12.1 overs.
It was then upto the two most experienced members of Bangladesh side, keeper Musfiqur Rahim and skipper Shakib Al Hasan to consolidate the innings.
But after staying together for 17.3 overs, Rahim and Shakib pair were separated by Ferguson. The right arm pacer got Shakib out caught by keeper Tom Lotham for 40. He hit three boundaries and two sixes in his 51-ball innings.
Mushfiqur Rahim departed after scoring 66 (75 balls, 6 boundaries and 2 Sixes), with Bangladesh struggling at 175/6 in 35.5 overs. With Boult back in attack, Towhid Hridoy departed for 13, caught by Santner. Next to go was Taskin Ahmed, who contributed 17. He was caught at Deep Backward Square by Daryl Mitchell trying to sweep Santner.
Due to injury, Kiwis skipper Kane Williamson, who was watching his side winning splendidly against England and the Netherlands in the previous two matches, was back on field at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, here on Friday.
Winning the toss, the Black Caps skipper had no hesitation in asking Bangladesh to bat first.
In their first outing at the same venue, on October 5 in the inaugural match, the Kiwis humbled 2019 edition Champion England by 9 wickets. Then they replicated their success again on October 9 against the Netherlands, crushing them by a convincing 99-run margin.
On the contrary, Shakib Al Hasan led Bangladesh so far had mixed fortunes in the tournament.
The Asian side won against Afghanistan on October 7 by 6 wickets in Dharamsala, but lost to England by 137 runs at the same venue after three days.
