Black Caps Win Comfortably Against Tigers In 2nd ODI

Following an impressive total of 254 on the challenging Mirpur surface, New Zealand dismantled Bangladesh for 168, securing a commanding win by a margin of 86 runs on Saturday.

With this victory, New Zealand now leads the series 1-0, with one match remaining on the 26th.

In response to New Zealand's 254, Bangladesh faced an early setback as Litton Das was swiftly dismissed. The stand-in Bangladesh captain managed just 6 runs off 16 balls.

Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, and Towhid Hridoy followed suit in quick succession. Among them, Tanzid made a promising start with 16 runs, but was unable to build on it. Soumya, returning to the ODI playing XI after two years, faced only two balls before departing with a duck. Towhid fell for 4.

By the time Bangladesh reached the 100-run mark, they had already lost half of their wickets. They failed to pose any substantial threat to New Zealand's total.

Tamim, making a comeback after an injury hiatus, scored 44, while Mahmudullah Riyad, who had been sidelined due to a prolonged dip in form, notched up 49.

For New Zealand, Ish Sodhi emerged as the standout performer of the day, claiming six wickets conceding 39 runs in his 10 overs—his best ODI figures to date.

Earlier, having lost the toss, Bangladesh opted to bowl first. They swiftly dismissed Will Young, courtesy of a sharply rising delivery from Mustafizur Rahman. Litton Das secured a routine catch behind the wickets.

Finn Allen and Chad Bowes were subsequently sent back in quick succession, leaving New Zealand at a modest 36 runs.

However, from that juncture, Henry Nicholls and wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell forged a resilient 95-run partnership off 111 balls, stabilizing the team after a shaky start.

The stand was ultimately disrupted by debutant Khaled Ahmed, who removed Nicholls at 49. Nonetheless, Blundell continued his impressive performance, accumulating 68 runs off 66 balls.

Yet, it was the late-order batters who propelled New Zealand beyond the 250-run threshold.

Ish Sodhi, who was involved in a run-out at the non-striker's end for 18 runs due to Hasan Mahmud's swift action, remained unbeaten at 35 runs off 39 balls.

In a dramatic turn of events, he was reinstated by Bangladesh captain Litton Das and bowler Hasan Mahmud to resume batting, even after initially being deemed out following a TV replay that indicated Ish was out of the crease when Hasan dislodged the bails while delivering the ball.

Debutant pacer Khaled impressed with figures of three for 60. Right-arm spinner Mahedi Hasan also claimed three wickets for Bangladesh, while left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman secured two.