Bangladesh’s Nahid Rana delivered an outstanding performance, claiming his second ODI five-wicket haul to lead his team to a convincing six-wicket victory over the New Zealand national cricket team in the second match of the three-game series. The match took place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Monday.
Rana’s exceptional bowling display saw him dismantle the New Zealand batting order with sheer pace, finishing with remarkable figures of 5-32 from his quota of 10 overs. Opting to bat first, New Zealand struggled and were eventually bowled out for 198 in 48.4 overs. Opener Nick Kelly was the standout performer for the visitors, scoring 83 runs, including 14 boundaries. However, he lacked support from his teammates, with no other batsman managing to cross the 20-run mark.
The early damage was inflicted by left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam, who set the stage with a tight opening spell, followed by Rana’s devastating bowling that further dismantled the Kiwi lineup. Rana picked up crucial wickets at regular intervals, finishing with five scalps. Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, and Rishad Hossain also contributed with a wicket each.
In pursuit of 199 for victory and to level the series after a loss in the series opener, Bangladesh faced early setbacks, losing Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar cheaply. However, opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim led the recovery with a brilliant 76 off 33 balls, supported by Najmul Hossain Shanto, who contributed a valuable 50 before retiring hurt. Towhid Hridoy chipped in with a quickfire 30, ensuring Bangladesh reached the target with 87 balls to spare.
With this victory, Bangladesh squared the series 1-1 after their defeat in the first ODI by 26 runs.
