(Cricket News) When the No. 7 Mahedi Hasan joined him, Litton took no more chances and rocketed from 29 in 32 balls to finish with an undefeated 36-ball 42. Litton Das was the watchful batter for Bangladesh as he watched his batting partners getting starts and losing their wickets prematurely.

The target of 135 looked briefly tricky for Bangladesh, but Litton Das held his nerve to anchor the chase and help Bangladesh take a 1-0 lead against New Zealand in Napier to start the three-match T20I series.

But Bangladesh’s bowlers were the main reason for their comfortable victory, limiting New Zealand to a below-par total on a slightly two-paced but demon-free Napier surface. Shoriful Islam took two wickets in the game’s second over, earning returns of 3 for 26, while Mustafizur Rahman’s variations saw him take 2 for 15 in four overs.

Mahedi was the star of the show both with the ball and the bat, taking a wicket in the first over and then later on from Daryl Mitchell. He also hung around with Litton, hanging around with him just when Bangladesh looked like they were about to give up, finishing on an unbeaten 16-ball 19, including hitting the winning shot for four.

Although the chase appeared straightforward, New Zealand knew that their new-ball effort could still potentially turn the tide in their favour. Adam Milne was too quick for Rony Talukdar, and he misplayed a shot to mid-on in the second over.

Najmul Hossain Shanto counterattacked, hitting four boundaries in his 16-ball 19 before being dismissed in the fifth over while attempting to pull Neesham. Sarkar’s dismissal in the ninth over ended a brilliant innings of 22, and although Bangladesh was moving toward the target, New Zealand had just the opening they needed thanks to a third wicket in nine overs, and another wicket exposed the lower-middle order.

Towhid Hridoy, at number five, and Litton, at number six, made sure that was not going to happen too soon. Their 29-run partnership was efficient, if not particularly pretty, and the visitors advanced to triple figures with the necessary run-rate comfortably under control.

But in the fourteenth, Hridoy chipped a catch to short cover off Santner, and then Southee removed Afif with a short ball. At 97 for 5, it seemed like Bangladesh was starting to lose the plot, especially after Litton narrowly escaped an LBW shout thanks to a review.

At that point, Litton, who was on 22 off 28 balls with zero boundaries in 15 overs, decided to make an impact on the game. He released some pressure by hitting Milne for a leg-side four in the sixteenth over, and then in the eighteenth over, he made 10 runs in two balls off Ben Sears, including a lofted shot that Ish Sodhi caught in the deep but stepped over the boundary line.

That 14-run over from Sears released what little grip New Zealand had on the match, and Mahedi finished it off by carving Milne for six over cover, then pulling two in the deep and chipping over the off side for a teasing four.

Bangladesh’s victory was their first T20I victory over New Zealand in New Zealand and their first in Napier in three attempts. The hosts suffered their third loss in six games at McLean Park, with the next two games now being played at Mount Maunganui.

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