Twitter Reaction: Tom Latham’s half-century takes New Zealand to consolation win

New Zealand comprehensively defeated Bangladesh by 27 runs in the fifth and final T20I. With the game being a mere dead rubber, it was a consolation win for the Kiwis. However, they would have gained a lot of confidence with their stunning display. While the batters did well to post 161/5, the bowlers successfully defended the total. Hence, the five-match series ended at 3-2 in Bangladesh’s favour.

Earlier in the game, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham won the toss and he opted to bat first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Unlike the previous games, the Kiwis got a flying start in this contest with Finn Allen (41) and Rachin Ravindra (17) attacking bowlers from the outset. The duo added 58 runs in no time before falling inside the span of three deliveries.

Tom Latham scored his second fifty of the series

With both set batters removed, a momentum shift was witnessed the scoring rate also came down. Nevertheless, skipper Tom Latham, who arrived at number three, kept the scorecard ticking. Although Will Young and Colin de Grandhomme couldn’t contribute much, Latham paced his knock to perfection and brought up yet another half-century. He even remained unbeaten till the end.

Cole McConchie and Henry Nicholls also chipped in with significant contributions as New Zealand finished at 161/5. Chasing the tricky total, Bangladesh did get a decent start with openers Liton Das and Mohammad Naim adding 26 runs for the first wicket. However, the regular fall of wickets didn’t help the home team. Afif Hossain stood up as a lone warrior of the team and scored runs all over the park.

While wickets were falling regularly at the other end, Hossain was sending the ball over the fence. The dasher even remained unbeaten at 49 off 33 deliveries. However, his efforts proved far from enough as Bangladesh were contained for 134/8, losing the contest by 27 runs.

Kiwi skipper Tom Latham was named the Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series for New Zealand. From the Bangladesh camp, Nasum Ahmed received the Player-of-the-Match award. Notably, the high-voltage T20 World Cup 2021 is just over a month away. Hence, this series gave both sides a great preparation opportunity.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to New Zealand’s win: