NZ v BAN, 1st T20I Review: Kiwis ride on Kane Williamson half-century to complete hard-fought win

Kane Williamson came to his side’s rescue yet again with an unbeaten 73 as the hosts New Zealand went on to draw first blood and take a 1-0 lead in the series against Bangladesh that will be played to a magnitude of three matches. He was helped out by Colin de Grandhomme who managed an unbeaten 41 as well. However, their efforts overshadowed the impressive Mahmudullah who dug the Bangladeshis from the rut they were in with an impressive 52.

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and opted to bat first. The batting conditions at McLean Park in Napier was something spectacular. This meant that there was a lot of onus on the opening batsmen Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes.

While it was Tamim who signaled his intent with a hoick to the fence from the bowling of Matt Henry, Imrul simply did not have the similar impact as his opening partner as he was dismissed in the second over by Lockie Ferguson.

The four-man pace attack deployed by the Kiwis were all over the Bangladesh batsmen with some impressive bowling. Of course, they were bowling many a wide, but the pace and the swing and the seam movement was certainly a bit too much for the likes of Sabbir Rahman and Nurul Hasan, players with little or no experience down under.

Mahmudullah became the unlikely savior of the Bangladesh innings with some impressive batting acumen. Of course, he cashed in on the disciplinary bowling from Ferguson and Matt Henry to help himself to a few big hits. His 52 ensured that the visitors reached an impressive score of 141/8 in their quota of 20 overs, something that looked quite unlikely at the start of the innings.

Kane Williamson and his opening partner Neil Broom made their way out to face the Bangladesh pacers. While Broom has been quite impressive in recent times with the bat, his innings at Napier lasted just the six runs. Mashrafe Mortaza’s men sensed that there was an opening on the day as the wickets continued to tumble.

A few bizarre wickets coupled with a few terrible shots played ensured that the Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, and debutant Tom Bruce were dismissed in quick succession. At 4/62 with 10 overs played, the Kiwis were staring down the barrel.

However, some terrific batting from skipper Kane Williamson and Colin de Grandhomme coupled with some decent responsibility ensured that the Kiwis dug themselves out of the hole they were in to go ahead and claim the win they so deserved with two overs to spare.

Brief Scores: 

Bangladesh: 141/8 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 52; L Ferguson 3/32)

New Zealand: 143/4 in 18 overs (K Williamson 73; Mustafizur 1/21)

Man of the Match: Kane Williamson