Thanks to an explosive unbeaten half-century from Bevon Jacobs, New Zealand secured a comfortable six-wicket victory over hosts Bangladesh in the rain-affected third and final T20I at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The win leveled the series at 1-1.
The match was reduced to a 15-over contest due to rain, with Bangladesh collapsing to a meager total of 102 runs in 14.2 overs. Despite Shoriful Islam’s early breakthroughs, New Zealand successfully chased down the target in just 11.4 overs, sealing the win with 20 balls to spare.
Tawhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with a brisk 33 off 24 deliveries, while skipper Litton Das contributed 26 off 17 balls. However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to make significant contributions, leading to their downfall after the rain interruption.
Pacer Shoriful finished with figures of 3 for 19 in his three overs, but Bevon Jacobs’ unbeaten 62 off 31 balls guided New Zealand to victory with ease.
Bangladesh had initially taken a 1-0 lead in the series by winning the first match convincingly, with the second match in Chattogram being abandoned due to rain.
In the match, Bangladesh struggled to 102 runs in 14.2 overs, with only Hridoy and Das putting up a fight. New Zealand’s bowlers took advantage of the conditions, with Josh Clarkson shining with figures of 3-9 in two overs, supported by Nathan Smith and Ben Sears who picked up two wickets each.
Despite a rain delay with Bangladesh at 50 for three in 6.4 overs, the hosts couldn’t recover after the resumption. A collapse ensued, and they were bowled out for 102 runs, allowing New Zealand to clinch the victory decisively.
