A brilliant 169 off 151 balls from opener Soumya Sarkar was not enough to end Bangladesh’s miserable ODI streak in New Zealand
Henry Nicholls agonizingly failed to reach a century on Wednesday as New Zealand cruised to an easy seven-wicket win and cruised to victory in their one-day international series against Bangladesh.
A brilliant 169 off 151 balls from opener Soumya Sarkar was not enough to end Bangladesh’s miserable ODI streak in New Zealand, as they have now lost all 18 of their previous 50-over series against the Black Caps.
“The way the opener was played was fantastic,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said. “We also had a couple of good partnerships to put us in good stead. It was absolutely crucial,” he added.
In a strong batting display by the hosts, Nicholls and Will Young scored 128 runs for the second wicket. Latham and Nicholls then combined to grab another 56 for third place as the New Zealand batsmen took control.
The win in Nelson gave New Zealand an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after a 44-run win in the first match on Sunday. The third and final ODI will be played in Napier on Saturday.
Sarkar’s boundary-heavy innings took the visitors to a respectable 291 runs. But Nicholls led a blistering response from the Black Caps with 95 off 99 balls, guiding the hosts to a comfortable victory. It was a brilliant innings for Sarkar who bounced back for a duck last Sunday to smash 22 fours and two sixes. It was just short of Bangladesh’s ODI batting record of 176 set by Litton Das against Zimbabwe in March 2020.
Sarkar was out during a 91-run fifth wicket partnership with veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim. He finally departed in the 49th over when seamer William O’Rourke caught him behind, the first of three wickets taken by the New Zealander in the last six balls.
In reply, New Zealand’s openers raced to 76-1 after ten overs before Bangladesh debutant Rishad Hossain scored a brilliant catch to deep midwicket to dismiss Rasheen Ravindra for 45 off 33 balls. The wicket came at the end of an expensive match for the Bangladesh bowlers as Ravindra smashed a six and Will Young hit four successive overs.
All the New Zealand batsmen impressed while the Bangladesh bowlers struggled to exert any authority. Young, who scored 105 in his first ODI, was heading towards another century when his mistimed shot was caught and bowled by Hasan Mahmood.
Young finished 89th with New Zealand leading 204th by two. His second-wicket partnership of 129 off 131 balls with Nicholls was the winningest of the match. After Nicholls was caught out with New Zealand on 260 for three after 40 overs, Black Caps captain Tom Latham kept the home side’s tally high with 34 runs off 32 balls alongside wicket-keeper Tom Blundell.
Blundell sealed the win with a huge six in the 46th minute, finishing with 24 from 20 balls. “It’s really disappointing,” Bangladesh team captain Najm Hossain Shanto said. “We dropped a few wickets early, and that’s what cost us today. We had a good tally, but our bowlers didn’t bowl well.”