Colin Munro blasted a magnificent maiden century in international cricket to give the BLACKCAPS an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ANZ Twenty20 series against Bangladesh.
BLACKCAPS 195-7 (Colin Munro 101, Tom Bruce 59*)
Bangladesh 148 (Sabbir 48, Soumya 39, Ish Sodhi 3-36)
Scorecard
A Good Start
The embroiders spelt the captain’s name correctly and the BLACKCAPS ended up doing what they wanted first after they lost the toss and were asked to bat. Three changes were made with Boult, Sodhi and Neesham coming in for Henry, Ferguson and Broom (injury).
A Not So Good Start
Luke Ronchi chopped the first ball of the game to point and Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson followed him back to the sheds inside the opening power play as the BLACKCAPS stumbled to 46 for 3.
Munro Mania
Colin Munro take a bow! He soaked up the early pressure and made Bangladesh pay at the end as he smashed and bashed his way to the fourth Twenty20 international hundred by a BLACKCAP. The left hander (and occasional switch hitting righty) bludgeoned seven sixes and seven fours in his 52 ball hundred and joined an exclusive club including Brendon McCullum and teammate Martin Guptill.
New Man Old Head
While Munro did the dazzling, Central Stags new man Tom Bruce played the perfect partner in crime. He rotated the strike expertly and picked his moments to attack, slashing five fours and one six in his 59 from 39 balls. Crucially he combined with Munro for a 123-run third wicket partnership which proved the bedrock of the BLACKCAPS formidable 195 run total.
Bay Oval Brimming
Tauranga and the Mount - take a bow. The people came out and the sold-out sign went up. The ground looked an absolute picture bated in sunshine and the atmosphere, which can sometimes dissipate out the top, was kept inside and enjoyed by all. Let’s do it again on Sunday shall we!?
Early Pressure
Bangladesh came out swinging and while they flayed a few early boundaries, they lost early wickets which stymied the early momentum. Breakthroughs from Mitchell Santner (who opened the bowling!) and Ben Wheeler plus a Kane Williamson run out putting the visitors on the back foot at 36-3.
Counterpunch
Bangladesh needed a partnership and Soumya Sarka (39 off 26) and Sabbir Rahman (48 off 32) delivered a beauty. The pair piled on 50 in 29 balls and took the hosts past 100 as the Tigers kept pace with the asking rate.
Bang-Bang-Bang
From a position of strength at 103-3 in the 11th over Bangladesh once again got the speed wobbles. As they’ve done so far this tour, the visitors lost three quick wickets for 17 runs as dreams of a first ever victory on New Zealand soil began to dissipate. Boult returned to claim the first, before the spinners pried a couple out caught in the deep.
Silky Santner
He’s a brilliant fieldsmen and he showed off his pace and balance to take a brilliant running and diving catch at wide long on to remove Mosaddek. Make no mistake - this was a serious catch made to look easy by a gifted athlete with a big future.
Series sealed
Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 148 with 11 balls remaining, securing the BLACKCAPS a 47 run win and unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Bay Oval will again be the venue when the BLACKCAPS look to sweep the series 3-0 on Sunday. Another bumper crowd expected!
