BLACKCAPS 204-5 (Colin Munro 73*, Anton Devcich 59, Ross Taylor 28) Bangladesh 189-9 (Mushfiqur Rahim 50, Muhmudullah 34, Corey Anderson 2-21, Tim Southee 3-38)
RESULT: New Zealand won by 15 runs
RESULT: New Zealand won by 15 runs
After a blazing start from Anton Devcich and another swashbuckling Colin Munro innings, the BLACKCAPS survived a determined Bangladesh run chase to take their first win in the final one-off Twenty20 match in Dhaka.
Making his international Twenty20 debut, Devcich was in a punishing mood from the first over, and had his 50 in the blink of an eye from just 24 balls. Hamish Rutherford, who was scoring at a run a ball himself, holed out to Sohag Gazi in the eighth over.
Devcich went for 59, caught at mid wicket from the bowling of Abdur Razzak after scoring the third highest debut Twenty20 score for the BLACKCAPS. That brought Ross Taylor and Colin Munro together, fresh from their 130-run partnership in Fatullah on Sunday.
The pair peppered the boundary, bringing up 100 in the 12th over from 68 balls. Munro launching another switch-hit over the ropes along with straight drives and glances into the gaps.
Taylor went in the 18th over for 28, allowing Corey Anderson to play a hard hitting 18 from just six balls. Munro blazed on to end the innings at 73 not out from 39 balls, helping the BLACKCAPS reach 204 from their 20 overs.
The Bangladesh innings started with a drama from the outset, with Tim Southee having Shamsur Rahman caught on the boundary second ball, then bowling Ziaur Rahman in the same over. Mitchell McClenaghan got in on the act next over, getting Mominul Haque caught by Kyle Mills for 9.
In the fifth over, Southee took a blinding catch to remove Naeem Islam, making a lot of ground before flinging himself at the ball to drag it in. Meanwhile, Mushfiqur Rahim was getting the big crowd going with a string of sixes and fours and Bangladesh were looking strong, scoring at 10 an over.
Mushfiqur holed out to Corey Anderson after making his 50 in the 11th over, before Nathan McCullum took a fine high caught and bowled to remove Nasir Hossain for 28 in the next.
Mahmudullah and Sohag Gazi combined well to put a scare into the BLACKCAPS, but ultimately regular wickets from the BLACKCAPS bowlers saw them home. Southee bowled Abdur Razzak to end the match and give the visitors a 15-run win.
Anderson (2-21) and Southee (3-38) were the pick of the bowlers, with a much improved fielding effort also central to the win. The BLACKCAPS were determined to take something from this tour and were able to get home in the last match, to give stand-in captain Mills his first win in charge.
Focus now shifts to Sri Lanka, where the BLACKCAPS play three ODIs and two Twenty20s starting on Sunday 10 November.
