Najmul Hossain Shanto leaned on patience, timing and a good deal of grit to post an invaluable 105, guiding Bangladesh to 265 for 8 on a draining Chattogram afternoon. With the series locked at 1-1, the left-hander’s fourth ODI century – built on a 160-run stand with Litton Das – pulled his side clear after an ugly 32 for 3 in the first ten overs.
“We agreed the game wasn’t going to be won in the first hour,” Shanto said later, still dabbing sweat from his forehead. “It was just about batting time.” Litton echoed the sentiment: “I knew if I hung in, the rewards would come.”
Key facts first, then. Bangladesh closed on a competitive total, yet they might feel 25 short. Only 34 runs arrived in the last five overs, the lower order again short of answers once Shanto and Litton departed. New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke claimed 3 for 32 – all in the Powerplay – while fellow quick Ben Lister kept the squeeze on at the death.
Early damage
O’Rourke’s impact was immediate. Tanzid Hasan, enterprising in the previous match, inside-edged a sharp nip-backer on to his stumps for 6. Two overs later Saif Hassan followed, squared up by a delivery that shaped away just enough to kiss the edge. When Soumya Sarkar’s off stump was flattened – three wickets inside 22 balls – Bangladesh were reeling and the sparsely filled Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium fell quiet.
Rebuild, not rescue
Shanto and Litton resisted any urge to swing their way out of trouble. For nearly ten overs they dealt almost exclusively in singles, taking the sting out of the hard lengths New Zealand so enjoy. A top-edged pull from Shanto off Lister, sailing over fine leg, was the solitary boundary in that spell – against the run of play, as even the Bangladeshi supporters admitted.
Momentum finally shifted around the 25-over mark. Misfields crept in, a pair of overthrows gifted four handy runs, and suddenly the visitors lost a fraction of discipline. Shanto’s fifty (70 balls) arrived via a crisp clip through midwicket; Litton’s came later, off 83, his first half-century in the format since March 2023. “That one felt longer than two years,” he smiled.
Shot of the day
Perhaps the moment that broke New Zealand’s rhythm was Shanto skipping down to Nathan Smith and dispatching a slower ball straight over the sightscreen. Even the bowler offered a rueful grin. Smith thought he had his man four balls later when a miscued pull looped to mid-wicket, but O’Rourke put down the chance. Shanto was 75 then; he cashed in with three further boundaries before fatigue – and 36-degree heat – finally caught up.
End-game strangulation
Litton holed out to deep extra-cover, foxed by left-arm spinner Jock Lennox, while Shanto skied the same bowler two overs later. From 229 for 3, Bangladesh managed just 36 runs and lost five wickets. Lister hit the blockhole repeatedly, Smith complemented him with cutters into the surface, and the tail never really threatened.
Coach Rangana Herath, speaking on television, admitted the finish lacked punch: “We’re probably a boundary shy every over from 45 onwards.” Yet he praised the top order’s calm. “Test-match style batting works on slow pitches – Shanto showed that again.”
Conditions, context
Humidity hovered above 80 per cent for most of the innings, swathes of the outfield baked, then suddenly damp under a late sea breeze. The strip itself offered grip but little lateral movement after the new-ball burst. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto – leading in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence – reckoned the total was “par plus” given the surface’s gradual slowing. New Zealand skipper Tom Latham, asked at the interval, was non-committal: “Chasing 266 won’t be straightforward, but we back our depth.”
Numbers to note
• 160: Bangladesh’s highest fourth-wicket partnership v New Zealand, beating Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah’s 123 in Dublin (2017).
• 34: Runs scored in the last five overs – lowest for either side this series.
• 91: Balls faced by Litton for his 76, strike-rate 83.51 – modest yet priceless.
Where it leaves the contest
With dew unlikely under these conditions, Bangladesh’s spinners should come into play, though they will be defending a target perhaps ten runs shy of comfort. New Zealand, meanwhile, enter the chase knowing a disciplined start could tilt the decider their way.
Balanced enough, then: honours even at halfway, and plenty left to unfold under the Chattogram lights.
