Bangladesh started their Champions Trophy campaign with a defeat. To stay in the tournament, they must win against New Zealand—otherwise, they will be eliminated. However, in this crucial match, the Tigers couldn’t put up a big total. Thanks to Najmul Hossain Shanto’s fifty, Bangladesh set a target of 237 runs for New Zealand.
Losing the toss, Bangladesh batted first, and openers Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Najmul Hossain Shanto provided a steady start. The Tigers’ captain struggled a bit initially but then accelerated the scoring.
On the other hand, Tanzid Tamim batted fluently. The opening pair added 45 runs before Tanzid was dismissed for 24 off 24 balls.
After his departure, Mehidy Hasan Miraz came to the crease but couldn’t make a big impact. He scored 13 runs off 14 balls before being caught by Mitchell Santner off Will O’Rourke’s bowling.
Shanto then partnered with centurion from the previous match, Towhid Hridoy, but the latter failed to capitalize, scoring only 7 runs off 24 balls before getting out with the team’s score at 105.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim also had a disappointing outing, managing just 2 runs off 5 balls.
Meanwhile, Shanto held one end and reached his fifty off 71 balls. However, Mahmudullah Riyad also failed, scoring only 4 runs off 14 balls before being dismissed with the team’s total at 118.
Shanto then tried to stabilize the innings alongside Zakir Ali Anik, adding 45 runs. But he eventually fell for 77 off 110 balls with the team’s score at 165.
Rishad Hossain showed some aggression but couldn’t sustain it, scoring 26 off 25 balls before being dismissed.
In the final phase, Zakir Ali’s 45 off 55 balls helped Bangladesh reach 236/9 in their allotted 50 overs.
For New Zealand, Michael Bracewell was the standout bowler, taking 4 wickets.
