Bowlers, led by Lockie Ferguson, set up the eight-wicket win by shooting Bangladesh out for 226
The Report by Mohammad Isam15-Feb-2019Martin Guptill’s second consecutive century led New Zealand to a series-clinching eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second ODI at Hagley Park on Saturday. The 227-run chase, set up by their bowlers again, was reduced to a stroll when Guptill and captain Kane Williamson added 143 runs for the second wicket.Guptill, who made 118 off just 88 balls, continued in Christchurch from where he had stopped in Napier. Two fours in the second over and two sixes in the sixth over of the chase signalled his intentions, and he reached his half-century – off just 33 balls – in the 11th over, soon after Henry Nicholls was caught at the deep square-leg boundary.Back-to-back centuries for Guptill
Guptill on his century in Napier v century in Christchurch: “I was able to get off to a quicker start here than I was at Napier. It was a nice wicket to bat on, so I was able to get a few away over the top early, and carried on from there. The Napier wicket was a bit slower and holding, but today only the odd ball was holding and you could hit through the line and have the confidence of being able to do that.”
On his form: “Getting there. Today felt a bit more like me a couple of years ago, which is pleasing. Hopefully I’m able to keep pushing on from here.”
On the Bangladesh bowling: “I think they’ve got some really good bowlers. (Mashrafe) Mortaza is obviously a very experienced bowler and he can be quite difficult to get away. But I think if you put them under pressure, they just don’t have the experience here to be able to holding in there for long periods of time.”
He played all around the ground – slashes through the off-side field, pulls and straight drives, and then a tuck off the hips got him to his century in the 25th over. Guptill, who struck three of his four sixes back past the bowler, eventually fell in the 29th over with New Zealand needing just 39 to win.The remaining runs were duly knocked off by Williamson, who finished unbeaten on 65, and Ross Taylor in 36.1 overs, pointing to the gulf between the two teams in these conditions. Williamson’s was a steady hand compared to Guptill’s marauding effort, as he struck just three fours in his 86-ball knock.Earlier, New Zealand’s bowlers were clinical in shooting out Bangladesh for 226 despite seeing their fielders drop four catches. Lockie Ferguson took three wickets including that of Mushfiqur Rahim, while Matt Henry employed his variations to good effect in ten tight overs. Todd Astle and Jimmy Neesham picked up two wickets each, while Trent Boult, Henry and Colin de Grandhomme got one apiece.For the second game in a row, Bangladesh lost half their batsmen before reaching three figures, as Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das fell early, Soumya Sarkar threw away a good start (again), Mushfiqur chopped one on to his stumps, and Mahmudullah poked at an away-going delivery.It was only a 75-run sixth-wicket stand between Mohammad Mithun and Sabbir Rahman that gave the Bangladesh total some respectability. They played some sparkling shots and Mithun, who was the second batsman to get a reprieve from Ross Taylor in the slips, got stuck into Astle by hitting him through the off-side field, and even hitting a four past short third man with a reverse-paddle. His best shot, though, was a push through the covers for four off the pacy Ferguson.Watch New Zealand v Bangladesh LIVE on ESPN+
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But soon after he had hit that boundary, Mithun pulled a hamstring while taking a single. The discomfort affected his batting as he began relying on boundaries, and although he struck Astle for a slog-swept six and an inside-out four in the 33rd over, he didn’t last much longer. Astle castled him in the next over for 57 – back-to-back half-centuries – ensuring Bangladesh’s lower order had to get involved for the last 14 overs.Sabbir’s was a fortuitous stay, with the bails refusing to fall when his inside-edge off Astle brushed the leg stump. Later, he did call for an excellent review, when Henry struck his pads in line but replays showed the ball going over the stumps. He timed the ball well, but Mehidy Hasan’s dismissal at the start of the 41st over slowed him down and eventually the Bangladesh innings.
