Rawalpindi: Rachin Ravindra’s fourth ODI ton and Tom Latham’s disciplined 55-run cameo helped New Zealand register a comfortable five-wicket win, with 23 balls to spare, over Bangladesh in the Group A clash at Rawalpindi Stadium. With this win, New Zealand and India have both qualified for the semifinals from Group A and will battle it out for the top position on March 2. Host nation Pakistan and Bangladesh have been eliminated from the tournament.
Ravindra’s 112-run innings saw him find the boundary 12 times, alongside one six, as he pulled out an array of shots from his deep locker to confirm the win for his side. The all-rounder had recently returned from an injury he suffered during New Zealand’s first match against Pakistan in the Tri-nation ODI Series before the Champions Trophy.
In their defense of 237, Bangladesh got off to a good start with Taskin Ahmed beginning the proceedings with a wicket maiden. The right-arm fast bowler bowled a full-length delivery, which nipped back in, and saw the ball pass between the pad and bat to castle onto the wickets to dismiss Will Young, who had scored a century in the opening game against Pakistan.
Nahid Rana, who replaced Tanzid Shakib in the lineup, took the massive scalp of Kane Williamson in the fourth over. The 22-year-old was almost challenging the Kiwi great to drive through the outside but movement on the ball saw him nick it straight to the keeper. Willaimson’s dismissal brought Ravindra to the crease, a demotion to his usual batting spot after he was brought in to replace an unwell Daryl Mitchell, and the left-handed batter certainly marked his return in style.
Ravindra, alongside Devon Conway, helped stabilize the Kiwis’ innings before the latter fell cheaply to Mustafizur Rahman. A full delivery, outside off, saw Conway attempt to navigate the ball towards backward point but ended up chopping it onto the stumps. The 33-year-old was left disappointed with his mode of dismissal after having shown good form with six boundaries.
With three players back in the pavilion, New Zealand could not afford any more wickets at that point. The duo of Latham, and Ravindra certainly delivered for their side with a 129-run stand. Ravindra’s innings was a showcase of precision and technique, with Bangladesh’s bowlers targeting the offside but the 25-year-old’s ability to strike the ball in the gap helped him keep the scoreboard ticking.
The centurion’s dismissal came too late for Bangladesh to mount a comeback as the left-handed batter was attempting to change gears after reaching his hundred in 95 balls. A full ball by Rishad Hossain saw him try and clear the fielder at wide long-on but brought an end to the show he put on on Monday night.
Latham and Glenn Phillips looked certain to bring the game home for the Black Caps before the former was run out trying to sneak a quick single. However Phillips and the star bowler of the night, Bracewell scored the winning runs with 23 balls to spare.
Brief score:
Bangladesh 236/9 in 50 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 77, Jaker Ali 45; Michael Bracewell 4-26) lost to New Zealand 240/5 in 46.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 112, Tom Latham 55; Taskin Ahmed 1-28, Nahid Rana 1-43) by five wickets
(IANS)
