New Zealand captain Kane Williamson made a successful return at the World Cup following his injury layoff with a half-century as the 2019 runners-up beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in Chennai on Friday for their third successive victory.
Chasing 246 to win after New Zealand’s pace bowlers Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult and Matt Henry ripped through Bangladesh, Williamson (78) batted superbly in his first competitive game since rupturing his knee ligament in March.
He forged an 80-run partnership with Devon Conway (45) and dropped anchor in the company of Daryl Mitchell (89 not out) but retired hurt with a finger injury, before New Zealand crossed the finish line in 42.5 overs.
Williamson had tried to play through the pain after being hit on his left thumb by a fiery throw when completing a run and also experienced some soreness in his knee late on.
Earlier, Mushfiqur Rahim hit a half-century to lead Bangladesh to 245-9 as veteran Black Caps fast bowler Trent Boult claimed a 200th one-day international wicket.
Mushfiqur made 66 off 75 balls with six fours and two sixes, taking his number of fifties in the format to 48 having also hit a half-century against England in the tournament three days ago.
The 36-year-old, playing in his 259th ODI, shared a crucial 96-run fourth wicket partnership with skipper Shakib Al Hasan (40) to help their team recover from 56-4.
Mushfiqur was eventually clean-bowled by Matt Henry as he attempted to pick up the scoring rate after Shakib had perished, caught by wicketkeeper Tom Latham off Lockie Ferguson after top-edging an attempted pull shot.
Shakib ended his innings suffering from cramps in the sweltering heat and batting without a helmet or cap against the spinners.
Mushfiqur’s brother-in-law Mahmudullah, batting at number eight, added a valuable undefeated 41.
Boult, meanwhile, became the sixth New Zealand player to take 200 ODI wickets.
The 34-year-old reached the personal landmark when he dismissed Towhid Hridoy, caught at extra cover by Mitchell Santner for 13, in the 38th over.
Playing in his 107th ODI, Boult also dismissed opener Liton Das off the first ball of the match.
Liton was celebrating his 29th birthday but any hopes of a big score to mark the occasion were shattered when he shuffled down the wicket to confront Boult only to sky the ball to a grateful Henry who pocketed the chance at fine leg.
Captain Kane Williamson returned to action after missing New Zealand’s first two wins over defending champions England and the Netherlands as he recovered from a knee injury.
Bangladesh opened their World Cup campaign with victory over Afghanistan before losing to England.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson chose to field first after winning the toss against Bangladesh’s captain Shakib Al Hasan.
New Zealand boasts an unblemished record against Bangladesh in ODI World Cup encounters, with five victories in as many matches since 1999.
The Black Caps would like to secure their position further in this round-robin tournament whereas Bangladesh must win this match to keep their hopes alive for a semi-final spot.
The Chennai pitch is expected to favor spin, making Bangladesh’s spin trio – Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, and Mahedi Hasan – crucial in their quest to potentially upset New Zealand.
New Zealand has enjoyed a flying start in the World Cup, securing dominant wins over England and the Netherlands. Bangladesh, after a convincing win against Afghanistan, faced a setback in their previous match against England
Kiwi Captain Kane Williamson is expected to be back in the squad after nine months, although it is not immediately clear who he will replace.
New Zealand are coming off convincing victories against England and Netherlands while Bangladesh lost their previous world cup clash to England.
Conditions in Chennai are dry and the pitch is likely to favour spinners.
New Zealand
1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Mark Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson/Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult
Bangladesh
1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman/Nasum Ahmed
