Bangladesh pulled off a record chase of 183 in 18 overs after a middle-order surge led by Hridoy's unbeaten 51.
Bangladesh reached the 183-run target with two overs remaining. In the prior five occasions when Bangladesh scored over 100 runs in the last ten overs of a T20I chase, none had been achieved in so few deliveries. Early struggles saw Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan crawl to a run rate of 7.70 per over before Tanzid’s dismissal, leaving the side with an uphill task.
A middle-order trio of Tawhid Hridoy, Parvez Hossain, and Shamim Hossain added 110 runs at a combined strike rate of 203.7, including 13 boundaries. Hridoy finished unbeaten on 51 off 27 balls, while Parvez and Shamim contributed 28 and 31 respectively. Hridoy praised their contributions as being ‘as good as half-centuries’ despite batting lower down the order.
Hridoy explained that scoring fifties from positions five or six often signals a side under pressure after early losses. He highlighted how even smaller knocks can prove decisive in T20 cricket. ‘You might get the occasional half-century batting at No. 5 or 6,’ he said. ‘If you see someone getting a fifty from that position, you will figure out that the team is on the back foot.’
Hridoy admired Shamim’s unorthodox shot selection, particularly a no-look scoop off Nathan Smith that sailed over the wicketkeeper for six. ‘He plays the type of shots that very few players can pull off,’ Hridoy noted. ‘Bowlers are under pressure when a batter plays such shots. You need a player like Shamim at No. 6, who can play such cameos.’
Bangladesh’s revival began when Parvez attacked Ish Sodhi in the over after Tanzid’s dismissal, scoring 18 runs off the over including a four and six. ‘The saying goes, attack is the best form of defence,’ Hridoy stated. ‘You can't cut it at international level if you are bogged down.’
Hridoy acknowledged recent criticism over his strike rotation in a previous ODI but stressed Bangladesh’s growing ability to chase big totals. ‘That's the game,’ he said. ‘I usually try to fulfil the team's demand. In that situation today, we needed quick runs. So I tried to be as attacking as possible.’
New Zealand finished with 182, falling short of their initial 200 target after a middle-order slump. From 61 for 1 in the powerplay, Dane Cleaver and Katene Clarke’s dismissals triggered a collapse within 12 balls. Cleaver admitted, ‘We would have hoped to get 200, considering the platform that we laid.’
Cleaver noted how softer conditions made scoring harder as the innings progressed. Bangladesh’s bowlers applied pressure at the end to restrict New Zealand. ‘We were sort of just in flow, playing each over as we could at the time,’ Cleaver added. ‘But when we came off, we talked about 180 being par.’