May 17, 1999: Bowlers demolish Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s introduction to the world arena was not a triumphant one. Bangladesh was swept away by the New Zealand All Blacks. Geoff Allott flipped the ball forward and removed the openers. Chris Cairns and Gavin Larsen were responsible for the remainder of the damage. A few Bangladeshi batsmen reached double digits, but none surpassed the 20-run mark. The results were disastrous for Bangladesh. New Zealand pursued the target with caution, lost four wickets, and required 33 overs to reach the target. Matt Horne, the opener, tallied the most points with 35.
February 26, 2003: McMillan stars in easy win
Mohammad Ashraful scored a crucial fifty at the top of the order, but Bangladesh’s total of 198 for seven in their allotted 50 overs was below par. Mohammad Rafique, a veteran batsman, contributed a quickfire 41 that was crucial in adding late runs to the scoreboard. Previously, Shane Bond and Jacob Oram took three wickets apiece to eliminate the top and middle order.
Craig McMillan and his companion, Stephen Fleming, had a strong start to the innings. They contributed 71 runs for the first wicket. Andre Adams was promoted to pinch-hitter, but the opposition camp was unfazed by the development. Khaled Mahmud’s dibbly-dobbly deliveries took all three wickets that the New Zealanders lost. The target was ultimately attained in the 34th over.
April 02, 2007, Fleming hundred leads Bangla rout
Another World Cup game for Bangladesh and another mauling at the hands of the Kiwis. The New Zealand unit made it 3-0 against Bangladesh at the World Cups by trouncing them by 9 wickets in Antigua. Batting first, Bangladesh huffed and puffed to 174. Their top four got 20s but none could go beyond and towards the end were bowled out. Styris and Oram did the bulk of the damage and picked up 7 wickets between them. In response, New Zealand were led by their skipper in the charge. Stephen Fleming carved a quickfire ton to ensure that the Kiwis won by 9 wickets with more than 20 overs to spare.
March 13, 2015: Guptill ton spares Kiwi blushes
New Zealand’s confidence was boosted by the fact that the World Cup was being held in their country. Under the direction of the dynamic Brendon McCullum, the Kiwis struck all the appropriate notes. Bangladesh batted first and, aided by Mahmudullah’s century, reached 288 runs in their allotted 50 overs. After being reduced to 27 for 2, the duo of Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah seized control of the situation and stabilized the innings. Then, Sabbir Rahman completed the innings with a 40 off 23 balls.
A target of 289 never appeared intimidating, but Bangladesh undoubtedly ruffled some feathers in the opposing camp by achieving it. Taylor and Guptill’s partnership salvaged the day for New Zealand after they also lost a couple of wickets early on. They added 131 runs for the third wicket and reestablished the pursuit’s momentum. Martin Guptill achieved a century at a strike rate greater than 100. Grant Elliot and Corey Anderson also contributed significantly to New Zealand’s victory in the 49th over.
June 5, 2019: Jittery NZ overcome fighting Bangladesh
New Zealand entered this match on the heels of a 10-wicket thrashing of Sri Lanka in Bristol and must have viewed this game as an easy victory. However, they faced the courageous Bangladesh, who had previously defeated South Africa at this very venue. When asked to bat first at the Kennington Oval, the majority of Bangladesh’s batsmen made starts, but only Shakib-Al-Hasan scored over 30. In the end, they concluded with a score of 244 for 8, which was par given the conditions. Matt Henry was the primary destructor, with the pacer concluding with a score of 4 for 47. At one point, the Kiwis were in a comfortable position at 160 for 2, and it appeared as though chasing 245 would be a simple task. New Zealand’s middle-order collapsed from 160 for 2 to 218 for 7 as a result of Bangladesh’s perseverance. A second consecutive upset was imminent, but Mitchell Santner kept his cool to lead his team to a tense 2-wicket victory.
