Maiden centuries from two rising stars power Black Caps to clean sweep

Bangladesh, defeated by 164 runs after New Zealand posted a total of 318/6, had actually enjoyed a positive start to the match after losing the toss.

Dropped on 14 by Mushfiqur Rahim, New Zealand opener Henry Nicholls fell for 18 to Taskin Ahmed (1/52) in the eighth over. He was shortly joined back in the pavilion by opening partner Martin Guptill, who perished for 26 to Rubel Hossain (3/70) in the very next over.

Hossain struck again in the 11th over, taking Ross Taylor’s outside edge for seven, reducing New Zealand to 57/3. Like Nicholls, Taylor was guilty of not making the most of a second life. Just two balls earlier he had been dropped by Mustafizur Rahman at midwicket.

In the company of captain Tom Latham, Conway put the pressure back onto the touring team. He had been beaten on the outside edge twice in the infancy of his innings and top-edged a four before he had reached 10, but Conway looked increasingly at ease out in the middle.

Together with Latham, he put on 63 runs for New Zealand’s fourth wicket, hitting three successive boundaries off Mustafizur (1/87) at one point – one admittedly an edge through third man. Just as the Black Caps looked set to launch, Latham fell for 18 to Soumya Sarkar (1/37), skewing a shot to point where Mehidy Hasan Miraz took an excellent diving catch high to his left.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, the dismissal did little to slow New Zealand down.

Conway raced along to his half-century in just 52 deliveries as Daryl Mitchell got his eye in before signalling his intentions with a six over midwicket off the bowling of Hasan Miraz (0/23).

The pair put on a 159-run stand, with Mitchell reaching fifty for the first time in ODI cricket with a top edge over the keeper’s head for four. It had taken him 63 balls to get there but he would finish his innings with a strike rate of better than a run a ball.

Conway raced through the 80s and 90s, striking back-to-back boundaries off Mahedi Hasan (0/46) before raising his ton by hammering Taskin through point for his first ODI century in just his third match. He hit another four boundaries before finally falling in the 48th over for 126 off 110 deliveries, receiving a standing ovation from the Basin Reserve crowd after being dismissed by Mustafizur.

He is averaging 75 in ODI cricket to go alongside a T20I average of 52.28.

Rubel would follow up Mustafizur’s wicket of Conway by removing Jimmy Neesham (4) in the 49th over but those two dismissals were rare moments of joy for Bangladesh at the death.

Dropped on 63 by Mahmadullah in the 45th over, Mitchell went into the 49th on 71. By the end of the 50th, he was celebrating his first ODI century.

The all-rounder picked up 12 runs in the penultimate over, pulling Rubel over deep square leg to open up the possibility of a century.

When he started the 5th over with three consecutive boundaries, the last off a no-ball, the century went from possible to probable. He just beat the ball home for the tightest of twos to move to 97 before finding himself off strike on 98 with two balls to go. Against all odds, Mitchell Santner managed to pick up a three off the penultimate ball to give his batting partner a chance to raise his ton off the final delivery.

Mitchell looked dead and buried chasing a second run after playing Mustafizur straight to deep midwicket. Fortunately for the right-hander, Mushfiqur fumbled the ball as it arrived, giving the Kiwi enough time to get home to the elation of the dressing room. His unbeaten ton came off 92 balls, and was punctuated by nine fours and two sixes.

In reply, Bangladesh’s chase of 319 was virtually over inside the first seven overs as Matt Henry (4/27) ran riot.

The seamer had Tamim Iqbal caught behind for one in the third over, before bouncing out Sarkar for the same score in the fifth. Sarkar fell to a simple catch at fine leg from Trent Boult but it took something far more special to remove Liton Das (21).

Das top-edged a pull against Henry down to third man where Boult sprinted hard to his left before diving full length to catch it with centimetres to spare with his one hand to leave Bangladesh limping at 26/3 in the seventh over.

The Tigers looked to rebuild from there, but the more they dug in the steeper the required run rate climbed. Eventually, the pressure told as Mohammad Mithun fell for six off 39 balls to Kyle Jamieson (1/30).

A triple strike from Neesham duly reduced the visitors to 82/7 and from there it was a simple matter of cleaning up the tail and containing Mahmadullah.

Mahmadullah played a fighting 76* but wickets kept falling from the other end as Neesham, who finished with a brilliant 5/27, picked up the last wicket of Rahman to bowl Bangladesh out for 154 in the 43rd over.

The 3-0 series win was the perfect start for New Zealand in their ICC Cricket World Cup Super League campaign.

The two sides next meet on Sunday for the first of three T20Is.