Short Scorecard: BLACKCAPS 145/8 (Williamson 42, Munro 35, Taylor 28, Mustafuzir 5/22) def Bangladesh 70, by 75 runs (Shuvagata Hom 16, Sodhi 3/21, Elliott 3/12).
Summary: It was a familiar script for the BLACKCAPS in Kolkata. Kane Williamson won the toss and batted. The pitch was a slow turner and the batsman had to work hard to post a defendable total. The bowlers then backed up their batsman with another spotless display which was aided by more good fielding on the ground and in the air. Tick.
scorecard
Man of the Match: Kane Williamson. In a match where just 215 runs were scored, a knock of 42 from 32 balls stands out. The skipper was at his majestic best as he combined touch and timing to pick the bowlers off early and lay the foundation for a competitive total. Made even more important with Guptill absent with a mild hamstring strain.
Key moment: There wasn’t one to be fair. After making 145 the BLACKCAPS bowlers made sure of the result up front. The Bangladesh run chase never got going and it was just a matter of how many short they were going to finish it up. The answer was 75.
Shot of the match: A two punch combination from the skipper. Amongst the usual crash and bash of Twenty20 cricket, the skipper produced two champagne cricket shots in the opening over. Williamson thread the needle off consecutive balls, caressing Mashrafe Mortaza through the cover and to the rope. Elegant, effortless and magnificent.
Ball of the match: Mustafizur Rahman has a very handy slower ball. The 20-year-old fast bowler showed impeccable control of his off-cutter (which turned violently on this particular deck), takings a couple of big scalps in the process. His dismissal of Williamson was especially impressive, beating the BLACKCAPS captain three balls on the bounce (attempt at irony). Player to watch out for in the future.
In the field: A direct hit from Colin Munro to dismiss the dangerous Tamim Iqbal. With a stump and a half to aim at, Munro threw down the pins to open the BLACKCAPS wicket tally and send arguably Bangladesh's most dangerous batsman back to the shed. Good fielding continues to be a trump card for the BLACKCAPS.
Stat: Nine batsmen dismissed through being bowled in the match - the most in a T20 international. Full and straight was the order of the day with six BLACKCAPS and three Bangladesh castles crumbled over two innings. It was like a strobe light party out in the middle with the blitz bails earning their keep.
Quirk: Cricket was a contact sport today…
A. When you're on debut and batting with the captain, it's generally considered not great practice to put him on his back at the non strikers end. That's exactly what BLACKCAP T20 player number 69 Henry Nicholls did when he shuffled down to the spinner and smoked a straight drive straight into Williamson's left arm in the second over of the match. The skip went down after saving four and needed some attention from the physio before resuming. Young bucks these days…
B. For those who were deciding between watching the cricket and Super Rugby (we hope you chose right), Colin Munro and Taylor provided one of the best hits of the night. The players collided as they darted down the same line for a single. Their late efforts to avoid one another were in vain, making solid enough contact for Taylor's helmet to fly off. Thankfully both finished the run without further incident. Munro probably came away better off, but may have spent 10 minutes in the bin for not using arms in the tackle.
Next up: Permission to get excited. The BLACKCAPS head to Delhi for the opening semi-final on Wednesday, though their opposition is still to be determined. The Delhi deck promises more spin and tough times for batsmen, but it's been a recipe to the BLACKCAPS liking so far. Another world tournament final on the line - Motivated much?
