Bangladesh reached 77-2 after 10 overs while chasing 183 against New Zealand in the first T20I at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium in Chattogram on Monday, needing a further 106 runs from 60 balls.
Captain Litton Das fell for 21 to leg-spinner Ish Sodhi in the ninth over, after opener Saif Hassan was caught at deep mid-wicket off Nathan Smith for 17 in the final over of the powerplay. Tanzid Hasan was unbeaten on 20 and Towhid Hridoy on 9 at the halfway stage.
The chase started slowly. Tanzid edged Smith to deep third in the first over, where Sodhi got both hands to a difficult chance and could not hold it, allowing the ball to roll away for four. Bangladesh ended the over on 11-0 but never built the required tempo through the powerplay.
Saif and Tanzid struggled with timing on a surface offering some grip. They added 41 in 33 balls before Saif holed out at deep mid-wicket trying to lift Smith for six in the sixth over, ending the powerplay at 44-1.
Litton attacked Sodhi from the start. He hit the leg-spinner for six in his first over, then took 10 from his second with two boundaries. Sodhi got him in the same over, beating an attempted hit through the leg side as a low delivery on a stump-to-stump line struck the middle stump.
Litton fell for 21 from 15 balls with two fours and a six. The dismissal broke a 25-run stand in 20 balls and ended Bangladesh’s only acceleration of the innings, leaving the run rate at 7.70 against a required rate that was already above 10.
Sodhi could have struck earlier. Litton survived an lbw review on umpire’s call against the leg-spinner one over before being bowled, with both impact and ball-tracking returning marginal results that kept the original not-out decision.
