Despite losing the first wicket off the first ball of the match, New Zealand posted a challenging total of 213 for three in the first T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh on Sunday at Hamilton.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. Mahmudullah Riyad, the Bangladesh captain, asked Nasum Ahmed, who got inducted to international cricket with this game, to bowl the first over. Nasum got his maiden wicket straightway removing New Zealand debutant Finn Allen for a golden duck.
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In the second wicket stand, New Zealand added 57 runs with the help of Martin Guptill and Devon Conway, who is on good form for a while now.
Inside the powerplay, New Zealand lost only a wicket. But in the very next over, Mahedi Hasan removed Guptil for 35. In the third wicket stand, Conway and Martin Guptill added 105 runs off 60 balls. They were destructive against the Bangladeshi bowling attack.
Glenn Phillips hit 24 off 10 balls coming into the crease at number five. With his blazing batting display, New Zealand passed the 200-run mark.
For Bangladesh, Nasum bagged two wickets while Mahedi took one. Shoriful Islam, the other debutant of Bangladesh, had a bad day at the office as he conceded as many as 50 runs in his four overs.
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Bangladesh are yet to win any international game against New Zealand in New Zealand. After losing the ODI series 3-0, the Tigers are eager to pull off a win in the T20Is series.