Right-arm pacer Nahid Rana delivered an impressive five-wicket haul, and with half-centuries from Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh cruised to a solid six-wicket win over New Zealand in the second ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday. New Zealand captain Tom Latham's choice to bat first didn’t pay off, as the visitors could only muster 198 runs before being bowled out in 48.4 overs.
Left-handed opener Nick Kelly fought valiantly for the Blackcaps, scoring a commendable half-century with 83 runs off 102 balls, which included 14 boundaries. Middle-order batter Muhammad Abbas was the next highest scorer for New Zealand, contributing a modest 19 runs off 34 balls. Nahid led the charge for Bangladesh's bowling attack, finishing with remarkable figures of 5/32 in his 10 overs, earning him the Player of the Match title.
He received solid support from Shoriful Islam, who took two wickets, while Taskin Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, and Rishad Hossain each chipped in with one wicket. On the batting front, the home team made quick work of the 199-run target, successfully chasing it down with four wickets in hand and 87 balls to spare.
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However, Bangladesh's chase got off to a shaky start as they lost Saif Hassan and Sarkar, both scoring just eight runs, within the first four overs, leaving them at 21 runs. After that rocky beginning, Shanto teamed up with opener Tanzid, and the pair steadied the ship, forming a crucial 120-run partnership for the third wicket.
This pivotal stand came to an end in the 23rd over when Jayden Lennox dismissed Tanzid, who was the top scorer for Bangladesh with a solid 76 runs off 58 balls, featuring 10 fours and four sixes. Lennox struck again in his next over, taking out seasoned player Litton Das, who managed only seven runs off 11 balls. In the meantime, Shanto found himself in a quick 13-run partnership with Towhid Hridoy before he had to retire hurt shortly after reaching his half-century. He finished with a solid 50 runs off 71 balls, which included five fours and two sixes.
Hridoy then took charge of Bangladesh's run chase, guiding the team to victory with a steady unbeaten 30-run performance. Lennox stood out among the bowlers for New Zealand, claiming two wickets for 36 runs in his four overs, while both Will O'Rourke and Nathan Smith managed to take one wicket each. This six-wicket win allowed Bangladesh to level the three-match series at 1-1, with the final match set to take place in Chattogram on Thursday.
