Despite the series being lost already, the Kiwis played fine cricket to regain some lost respect. Ajaz Patel continued his great run of form by earning two scalps.
Finn Allen (41 off 24) got NZ off to an explosive start as the scoreboard read 58-2 at the end of the powerplay. This allowed the middle-order batsmen to play themselves in and take their time. Skipper Tom Latham took advantage of the start and scored 50* in his 37-ball extended stay at the crease.
Shoriful Islam (2 for 48) was taken to the cleaners by Finn Allen before he picked up both Allen and his opening partner Rachin Ravindra in the 6th over. Bangladeshi spinners Mahmudullah (0 for 17) and Afif Hossain (1 for 18) kept a check on the run flow during the middle phase of the innings.
Bangladesh needed 162 runs to make the series 4-1 in favour of the Tigers. The Kiwi bowlers were at their very best as they kept picking up wickets at regular intervals. Patel (2 for 21) added a couple of wickets to take his tally to 10 for the 5-match series. Pacer Scott Kuggeleijn also dismissed a couple of batsmen.
Mahmudullah and Afif Hossain had a job on their hands once again during the second innings. They stitched an excellent 63 run partnership before Kuggeleijn got the better of the Bangladeshi skipper. Afif Hossain remained unbeaten on 49, but Bangladesh fell 28 runs short of the target.
Bangladesh will still be delighted by winning the series 3-2. They hadn’t got a single win over New Zealand before this series, which is another sign of Bangladesh bridging the gap between themselves and the traditional big cricket teams.
Brief Scores
New Zealand: 161/5 in 20 overs (Latham 50*, Allen 41; Islam 2/48, Hossain 1/18) defeated
Bangladesh: 134/8 in 20 overs (Hossain 49*, Mahmudullah 23; Patel 2/21, Scott 2/23)
Man of the Match
Tom Latham
