The first match of the three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and New Zealand was washed away due to incessant rain. The match was abandoned at around 8:30 pm on Thursday when the second round was rained out.
Batting first, New Zealand scored 136 for 5 in 33.4 overs before the match was abandoned. The match was reduced to 42 overs due to two hours of rain.
After that, the match was finally abandoned when it rained again in the second round. Opener Will Young scored 58 runs for New Zealand. Besides, Henry Nichols scored 44 runs.
Acting captain of Bangladesh Liton Das won the toss and decided to bowl first at Mirpur Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Two New Zealand openers Finn Allen and Will Young started cautiously with the bat. They scored 9 runs in 4 overs. Rain stopped play after the third delivery of the fifth over. The match was reduced to 42 overs when play was stopped for almost two hours.
However, the Kiwis scored 136 for 5 in 33.4 overs before rain hit for the second time. In the end, the New Zealand innings was ended there by the match officials. The match was declared abandoned at 8:26 p.m.
Mustafiz dismissed Allen for 9 runs in the first ball of the seventh over after the break. New Zealand lost their first wicket for 14 runs. Mustafiz struck again in the New Zealand camp in the ninth over. Chad Bowes, who dropped to number three, got out for 1 run with a catch behind the wicket like Allen.
New Zealand lost the second wicket for 16 runs with Mustafiz’s double strike in two consecutive overs. In such a situation, Young and Henry Nicholls fulfilled the requirements of New Zealand’s big pair. They counter-attacked and scored 50 in the 16th over and 100 in the 26th over. Young got his fourth ODI half-century in the 27th over.
Lytton also used Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar to try to break the frozen pair of Young-Nicholls. Finally, Mustafiz bowled in the second spell in the 28th over and gave Bangladesh a break-through. Fizz made Nicholls his third victim of 44 off 57 balls. They made a pair of 97 runs from 117 balls for the third wicket. This is New Zealand’s second highest partnership for the third wicket in Bangladesh.
Then spinner Nasum Ahmed picked up a pair of wickets in the 31st over. Nasum dismissed Young for 58 runs in the second ball and Rachin Ravindra in the fourth delivery. New Zealand lost the fifth wicket for 123 runs. After the fourth delivery of the 34th over, rain stopped the game again. After some time the rain stopped but then the QI innings came to an end.
Mustafiz took 3 for 27 runs in 7 overs and Nasum took 2 wickets for 21 runs in 8 overs.
The second ODI will be held in Mirpur on September 23.
(21 September/ES)