Sri Lanka prepare for New Zealand challenge with unchanged T20I squad
Sri Lanka have named a strong 16-member squad led by Charith Asalanka for a six-match white-ball series involving three T20Is followed by three ODIs, against New Zealand.
New Zealand just escaped the jaws of the Bangla Tigers with two wickets remaining to register their second consecutive win in the ongoing World Cup. The match was played at Kennington Oval in London on Wednesday. New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor was declared Man-of-the-Match for his knock of 82. With this win, the Kiwis top the points table.
Winning the toss, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson invited Bangladesh to bat first. Bangladesh — who defeated South Africa by 21 runs in their previous match — came out all guns blazing. New Zealand, on the other hand, didn’t commit the mistake of taking Bangladesh lightly and kept their line and length tight while bowling. Matt Henry (4/47) and Lockie Ferguson (1/40) ensured that the Bangladeshi Tigers collapsed before their quota of 50 overs and give no worry to the Kiwis.
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Bangladesh got all-out for 244, where Shakib Al Hasan scored 64 runs – the highest from his side.
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Chasing 245, New Zealand started in a hurry to wrap things up before they started itching but their plan backfired as they lost two wickets at a score of 55. After this, Kane Williamson (40) and Ross Taylor (82) played their roles to put up a clinical finish, but a gritty Bangladesh gave all they had to keep their stake.
Eventually, it was the small target that foiled the efforts of Bangla Tigers and let the Kiwis seal things off in their favour. Though the Kiwis lost eight wickets till the end, they finished well before the time with 17 balls to spare.
Scorecard: Bangladesh 244/10 in 49.2 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 64, Mohammad Saifuddin 29, Matt Henry 4/47, Trent Boult 2/44); New Zealand 248-8 in 47.1 overs (Ross Taylor 82, Kane Williamson 40, Shakib Al Hasan 2/47, Mehidy Hasan 2/47)
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