New Zealand got the wicket right

CHENNAI: After the fall of successive wickets towards the start of the match, Bangladesh appeared unsettled, desperately in need of someone to steady their ship.

That someone emerged in the form of Mushfiqur Rahim, who showcased his prowess by scoring 66 runs off 75 balls. Just as Bangladesh seemed to regain their composure, a cunning slow ball from Matt Henry took Mushfiqur by surprise. This decisive delivery landed

without much bounce, confounding Mushfiqur and upending his stumps, abruptly concluding his innings. This, however, was not the only bowling heroics of the day. In his very first delivery of the match, Trent Boult made a profound impact; eventually reaching a milestone of 200 wickets in ODI matches here in Chennai on Friday.

The Chepauk pitch had been a subject of scrutiny for both teams, as it had favoured spinners during India’s match against Australia. However, on Friday, it was the fast bowlers who reaped the rewards on this hallowed pitch.

Mehidy Hassan Miraz and Tanzid Hasan vied to regroup Bangladesh’s innings after the early dismissal of the birthday boy, Litton Das, in the first ball of the match. Unfortunately, New Zealand allowed no respite for this pair to settle in, as Lockie Ferguson swiftly removed Tanzid.

Shakib Al Hasan, on the other hand, took on Rachin Ravindra, exhibiting some exquisite shots over midwicket. He also decided to challenge Ferguson, but his intentions went awry.

A pull shot towards backward point resulted in a top edge, and Latham had to cover ground to secure the catch and eventually dismiss him. Latham found himself in the role of the agile fielder once more, taking a crucial catch to send Mustafizur Rahman back to the pavilion with a mere 4 runs to his name, courtesy of Henry’s well-directed delivery.

New Zealand’s bowlers got the ball running from the very start picking up some important wickets and thereafter restricted Bangladesh to 245 runs.