New Zealand yesterday beat Bangladesh by 65 runs in a rain-shortened third Twenty20 international in Auckland to claim a series clean sweep.
With their innings reduced to 10 overs due to bad weather, Bangladesh were all out for 76 with three balls to spare, well short of the 142 target set by New Zealand.
The Black Caps made 141-4 after losing the toss and being asked to bat, with Finn Allen hitting 71 from 29 balls.
Photo: AFP
Spinner Todd Astle was the standout bowler, taking four wickets for 13 runs in his two over spell.
Captain Tim Southee said that it was satisfying for the New Zealanders to notch their seventh home series win of the season on all formats.
“It’s been a great summer. We’ve played some good cricket, and seen a lot of guys come into the environment and do well,” he said.
Bangladesh captain Liton Das said that mistakes cost his side, including a series of dropped catches that allowed Allen to run away with the match.
“We’re not playing good cricket in batting and fielding,” he said.
“We’ve been very good bowling, but that’s cost us. We’re a young team and we’re learning,” he said.
New Zealand made a blistering start, with Martin Guptill smashing three sixes in the first two overs.
Allen was also finding the boundary, but rode his luck with two dropped catches as the Black Caps raced to 69 without loss after five overs.
Guptill smashed 16 off the first three balls from Mahedi Hasan, but the spinner had his revenge when the batsman was caught on 44 trying to clear the rope.
Allen brought up his maiden half-century off 18 balls and was gifted another life when Soumya Sarkar dropped a straightforward chance. He finally fell in the final over, scooping a Taskin Ahmed delivery over his head to the fielder, but by then the damage had been done.
Bangladesh made a disastrous start, losing two wickets to paceman Southee in the opening over. They were starting to rebuild when Astle also claimed a brace, leaving Bangladesh teetering on 37-4.
Astle’s second over proved just as destructive and the tourists had no answer as the run rate climbed to an insurmountable level.
‘EVERYONE SAW’: The visitors were left fuming after Jules Kounde was fouled by Claudio Echeverri in the buildup to the winning goal and it went unpunished Spanish champions Barcelona on Monday fell to a damaging 2-1 defeat at Girona to leave them trailing Real Madrid by two points at the top of La Liga. Los Blancos beat Real Sociedad on Saturday to overtake the Catalans and Hansi Flick’s side could not defeat Girona in an gripping derby clash to reclaim the lead. Teenage star Lamine Yamal missed a penalty for Barcelona, who took the lead through defender Pau Cubarsi just before the hour mark. However, goals from Thomas Lemar and Fran Beltran helped Girona, 12th, mount an impressive comeback. “In the end Girona deserved it, they had a lot of
A dominant Cade Cunningham on Thursday scored 42 points as the NBA-leading Detroit Pistons swatted aside the New York Knicks 126-111 on the NBA’s return from its brief All-Star Game break. Billed as a must-watch clash between two Eastern Conference rivals each in red-hot form, the game at Madison Square Garden became an exhibition for Cunningham, who also provided 13 assists and eight rebounds. The 24-year-old burnished his credentials as a Most Valuable Player contender, helping a young, surprise-package Pistons side to improve the best record in the entire NBA this season so far, to 41-13. After the game, Cunningham said that he
Amanda Anisimova on Monday was handed a walkover into the last 16 of the Dubai Open after her opponent Barbora Krejcikova was forced to withdraw from the WTA 1000 event. The American second seed enters the round-of-16 against Janice Tjen without swinging a racket as two-time Grand Slam winner Krejcikova pulled out due to an issue with her left thigh. They became the seventh and eighth players to pull out, a list that includes the world top two Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Tjen booked her meeting with Anisimova thanks to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 win in her round-of-32 match against 2021 US
Amanda Anisimova on Thursday ended a tearful Mirra Andreeva’s Dubai title defense with a comeback 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory in the quarter-finals. The second-seeded American trailed fifth seed Andreeva by a set and a break before rallying to complete a 2 hour, 38 minute win. She booked a place in the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the fourth time in her career. “I was almost in tears there at the end,” Anisimova said. “It made me emotional seeing her like that. I feel we both won today.” Anisimova was to face fellow American Jessica Pegula, who beat Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-3,
RSS