With a comfortable 27-run win in the last of the five-match T20I series on Friday, New Zealand signed off the Bangladesh tour with something to celebrate even though they lost the competition 3-2.
The hosts won the first two matches but lost the third match. They came back strongly in the fourth match before losing the final one on the better previously unused surface at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Bangladesh needed to score 56 off the last 30 balls, with Afif Hossain and Mahmuullah Riyad on the crease, but they only managed to score 28.
Bangladesh's last hope to chase down a big target of 162 ended with the quick dismissals of Mahmudullah and Sohan, reports UNB.
In the last three overs, Bangladesh needed 48 runs which they failed to achieve.
Bangladesh were in dire need to have a good start, but Mohammad Naim and Liton Das were able to add only 26 runs in 4.2 overs. Liton fell to Ajaz Patel for 10 off 12 deliveries.
Soumya Sarkar, who got his first chance in this series, posted only four while Mushfiqur Rahim had another bad day as he could score only three this time. In between them, Naim was hunted by Ben Sears.
In the fifth wicket stand, Mahmudullah and Afif added 64 off 43, but that was not enough for the hosts to avoid a defeat.
Eventually, Bangladesh ended up on 134 for eight in 20 overs with Afif remaining unbeaten for 49 off 33 balls with two fours and three sixes.
For New Zealand, Ajaz Patel and Scott Kuggeleijn took two wickets each.
Earlier, Tom Latham, the New Zealand captain, continued on a good run and posted an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls while Finn Allen hit 41 off 24 balls to propel the visitors to 161- their highest in this series.
New Zealand made a good start after winning the toss as Allen and Rachin Ravindra added 58 runs in the opening stand- their highest in the partnership in this series.
Shoriful Islam, the left-arm Bangladeshi pacer, who was playing his first match in the series earned the first breakthrough removing Rachindra for 17 in the sixth over. In the same over, Shoriful removed the other opener as well.
In the last six over, New Zealand scored 65 runs which helped them to post their highest total in this series- 161 for five in 20 overs.
For Bangladesh, Shoriful bagged two while Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed and Afif Hossain took one wicket each.
Bangladesh made four changes to their playing XI in this match resting Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin. To replace them, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Shamim Hossain made it to the XI.
