The start, however, was far from ideal. Bangladesh had a subdued powerplay and lost Saif Hassan early, while Tanzid Hasan struggled to time the ball. Litton Das looked promising but couldn’t capitalise on his start, leaving Bangladesh needing a strong middle-phase recovery. That came through Towhid Hridoy and Emon, who combined aggression with smart shot selection. Their partnership brought momentum back, with both batters finding boundaries consistently and unsettling the Kiwi attack.
Although Emon fell after a brisk cameo, Shamim Hossain ensured there was no let-up. Taking advantage of erratic bowling from New Zealand’s relatively inexperienced seamers, Shamim attacked from the outset and kept the required rate firmly in check. Hridoy, meanwhile, played the anchor’s role to perfection, pacing his innings beautifully en route to a match-winning fifty.
New Zealand skipper Nick Kelly felt his side had a competitive total and even sensed control midway through the chase, but admitted they failed to sustain pressure after key breakthroughs. Hridoy praised Shamim’s impact, while Litton noted that batting wasn’t straightforward due to variable bounce, making the fluent chase even more impressive.