After an embarrassing first-up capitulation and the last-ball loss that followed, the Black Caps have gone full circle to spin their way to a crunching 52-run win in their third Twenty20 against Bangladesh, and stay alive in the five-match series. Add in the star turn of Ajaz Patel, with 4-16, and the Black Caps ripped through Bangladesh for 76, a statement performance from a second-string team against a full-strength Bangladeshi side in their home conditions, and a result that continues a terrific turnaround. Playing on the same pitch that saw them routed for 60 in the opener, the Black Caps batsmen showed sharper skills to compile a total that looked maybe a touch below par, but still competitive. Colin de Grandhomme and Tom Latham both departed cheaply, before Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell attempted a dangerous rebuild, with the Black Caps going 45 balls between boundaries as they creaked to 88-5 with just four overs remaining. Nicholls took two sharp low catches inside the circle, one of them to remove Mahmudullah as Patel took two wickets in two balls, reducing Bangladesh to 44-6 after 10 overs.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 05, 2021 22:41 UTC