Bangladesh claim maiden T20I win on New Zealand soil: Stats
Bangladesh have defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the series opener of the three-match T20I series in Napier. It was a low-scoring encounter as batters across both camps had hard times. While Shoriful Islam starred with the ball for the Tigers, Litton Das played a handy knock. Jimmy Neesham's all-round effort went in vain. Here we look at the key stats.
A look at the match summary
NZ were off to a terrible start while batting first, having been reduced to 5/3. Neesham's quickfire 48 powered the Kiwis past the 100-run mark. Skipper Mitchell Santner contributed with 23 runs as the hosts finished at 134/9. In reply, Bangladesh also suffered a top-order collapse. Litton, however, showcased remarkable application and stayed till the end. Bangladesh crossed the line in 18.4 overs.
100 T20 wickets for Shoriful
Shoriful was the pick of the bowlers for the Tigers as he finished with 3/26 in four overs. With his final wicket, he also completed 100 scalps in T20 cricket. He accomplished the milestone in 86 games with his average being 24-plus. In T20Is, he has raced to 37 scalps in 32 games at an economy of 8.39.
An all-round show from Neesham
Neesham, who batted at number six, showcased remarkable intent amid tough circumstances and ended up scoring 48 off 29 balls (4 fours, 3 sixes). The southpaw missed out on his maiden T20I fifty. He took a wicket in the only over he bowled (1/7). The pace-bowling all-rounder has now raced to 872 runs across 70 T20Is, striking at 158.55.
A fine 42* from Litton
Litton struck two fours and a six in his unbeaten 42-run knock. He struck at 116.67, having faced 36 balls. The star batter has now raced to 1,710 runs across 74 T20Is at an average of 24.08. He has a strike rate of 130.43. The tally includes 10 fifties with 83 being his best score. He smoked his highest T20I score against NZ.
Maiden win on NZ soil
Meanwhile, this was Bangladesh's maiden T20I win on NZ soil. Prior to this match, the Tigers featured in 11 T20Is in the nation and suffered defeats every single time. While they were humiliated by the Kiwis on nine occasions, Pakistan also defeated Bangladesh twice in T20Is in NZ. Bangladesh would be raring to enhance their record.
