Bowlers set up 266-run chase for Bangladesh
In a must-win match, Bangladesh’s bowlers came to the fore after having been under the pump for much of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Taskin Ahmed led the way with 2 for 43 and Mosaddek Hossain chipped in with 3 for 13 after being brought into the attack in only the 42nd over, as Bangladesh kept New Zealand to 265 for 8 at Cardiff Wales Stadium on Friday.
Neither bowler had been part of the XI for Bangladesh’s last match, against Australia, but showed their worth in this match, where the loser will be out of the running for a semi-final spot.
New Zealand’s batting performance was solid without being spectacular for the first 40 overs, but its finish was below par. The middle order was shown up again, and the only shining spot, as expected, was Kane Williamson, who had chosen to bat first on a pitch that wasn’t quite as friendly to batsmen as some others in the competition have been, but didn’t play any devious tricks either.
FIFTY: Kane Williamson brings up his half-century for New Zealand
Williamson made 57 off 69, the third time in three innings that he had gone past 50 in the competition, though once again he was run out. But as had happened for New Zealand every time Williamson has gotten out in this tournament, the men who followed withered. Ross Taylor’s 63 was the highest score of the innings, but he took up a fairly chunky 82 balls and had the lowest strike rate amongst the top six batsmen.
Martin Guptill and Luke Ronchi had begun well, putting on 46 runs before Ronchi was caught off Taskin in the first ball of the eighth over. Guptill, who had hit Mashrafe Mortaza over the sightscreen, got off to a good start for the third time in the tournament, but again he couldn’t stay on to convert it to a bigger score.
Guptill was looking good when he was trapped lbw by Rubel Hossain for 33 off 35, and his was an important wicket since he was the man New Zealand might have expected to find or clear the fence at will.
SIX: Martin Guptill smashes Mashrafe Mortaza over the fence
Taylor and Williamson had a sizeable stand once again, but their 83 runs took up 17.1 overs. Taylor couldn’t step it up when required and, eventually, a tight spell led partly to Williamson trying to hare down for an impossible single when Taylor initially seemed to call him through before sending him back.
Neil Broom found some welcome form and was busy at the crease, but like everyone before him, he too couldn’t make a good start count, becoming Mosaddek’s first victim for 36 off 40. From there, the procession of wickets was fairly regular, with New Zealand scoring only 62 runs in the last 10 overs.
At various points, New Zealand was very well placed to think in terms of a 300-plus total. It was 144 for 2 in 27 overs, and 198 for 3 in 38 overs. Even at 228 for 4 in 43 overs, it could have thought it would touch 300, but Bangladesh’s bowlers maintained excellent discipline.
WICKET: Neesham falls to Mosaddek for 23
The bowlers didn’t get over-excited or mix good spells with bad, and didn’t lose heart even when New Zealand seemed to be going well, giving the batsmen an excellent opportunity to set up a famous win.
Already in the last two days, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have upset calculations by beating South Africa and India respectively – Bangladesh might do the same to New Zealand if its batsmen keep their heads about them in the chase.