Wellington, February 08: Having been kept to 183 by New Zealand’s tidy bowling attack, Bangladesh were drubbed by the broad bat of Ross Taylor as they surrendered the series to the hosts. Another cheap Brendon McCullum dismissal and Martin Guptill’s wicket inside the first ten overs would have given Bangladesh some hope, but Taylor’s belligerent innings confirmed what most had expected from this Dunedin match. Swatting five sixes in his 52-ball 78, Taylor pushed Bangladesh into a corner and helped seal the game in the 28th over.
A 101-run stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Naeem Islam for the seventh wicket raised Bangladesh to a modest 183 after their top order collapsed on a sunny afternoon at the University Oval in Dunedin. The tourists found themselves at 46 for 6 in the 23rd over, after being sent in to bat, before Mushfiqur and Naeem combined to give the total some respectability.
Both batsmen defied the rampaging New Zealand bowlers at first, cautiously dead batting their way through the middle overs, before taking the attack to the bowling side in the last 10 overs of the innings. The batting Powerplay was taken at the end of the 44th over and it yielded 55 valuable runs for the loss of just one wicket. Mushfiqur took advantage of some poor death bowling from Daryl Tuffey and Ian Butler to hammer Bangladesh towards the 200 mark.
Earlier, the Bangladesh top order capitulated in an all too familiar fashion, succumbing meekly to some excellent new-ball bowling from the New Zealand pacemen. Andy McKay, in just his second one-day international, was particularly impressive, extracting plenty of swing and bite from the grass-tinged surface to nick out Tamim Iqbal early with a short riser pitched outside off stump. Shakib Al Hasan also fell prey to the left-armer in the twelfth over, playing late to a fuller, faster delivery that cannoned into middle stump.
Tuffey and Butler bowled well, picking up one wicket a piece in the Powerplay overs, but it was largely Bangladesh’s inability to cope with pressure that brought about the demise of many of their batsmen. Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah were both victims of bad calling, run out after being sent back belatedly by their partners, while Mohammed Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed were dismissed playing loose shots – looking for boundaries rather than playing the ball into the gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Thankfully for the visitors, Mushfiqur and Naeem played intelligently to keep their side in the game, picking up the risk-free singles and twos on offer while keeping the ever-threatening Daniel Vettori wicketless for the first time this tour. The pair had added just 66 in 104 balls before the 40th over, but switched gears smoothly to pick up quick runs towards the end of the innings. Mushfiqur was especially effective, scoring a well-constructed 86 that included a huge six over midwicket and some powerfully struck boundaries down the ground. He was undone in the final over attempting a scoop over fine leg, but was instrumental in rescuing Bangladesh from the depths of 46 for 6.
——–Agencies