Bangladesh v New Zealand World T20 - 5 Talking Points

Kane Williamson’s New Zealand made it five out of five following yet another massive 75 run win over a hapless Bangladesh side in their World T20 2016 encounter. Despite the win being rather inconsequential, it certainly boosts the morale of the side while testing the bench strength. As a result, Henry Nicholls and Nathan McCullum made their way on the side. Interestingly, Trent Boult and Tim Southee continue to warm the bench following the above-par performances from the likes of Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner and Corey Anderson.

1. Kane Williamson plays a captain’s knock:

With Martin Guptill getting a much-needed break from proceedings, it was up to skipper Kane Williamson to lay the foundation for the New Zealand innings. He was partnered by 24-year old Henry Nicholls as the duo went out to face the wrath of the Bangladesh bowling, clearly hurting from the bans handed out to Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny. Nicholls simply failed to adapt to the dryness of the Kolkata wicket as he was cleaned up by Mustafizur Rahman. Williamson however, played perhaps the best innings of the tournament. Similar to Joe Root and Virat Kohli, Williamson’s ‘controlled’ innings ensured that the Kiwis were en route to a competitive total. His 42 included 5 wonderfully stroked boundaries and a massive six.

2. Munro and Taylor stitch a crucial partnership:

The Kiwi dug out dropped their heads below their shoulders after yet another Mustafizur Rahman delivery shattered the stumps. Their skipper had just been dismissed after a brilliantly constructed innings. However, little did they know what to expect from the explosive pair Colin Munro and Ross Taylor. The slowness of the wicket meant that they couldn’t slam their customary big hits in the same frequency as they did. A few miss-hits and innovative hoicks saw the duo maintain the run-rate required. Despite Al-Amin Hossain breaking the partnership soon after, the damage had been done. Munroe had scored 35 with a useful 28 from Ross Taylor.

3. Mustafizur Rahman rips New Zealand apart:

Many would have expected the Kiwis to blast away following the significant weakening of the Bangladesh bowling attack. With the venom removed in the form of a Taskin Ahmed ban, nobody, certainly not a stone-walled New Zealand side, expected that spell from Mustafizur Rahman. The latter, clearly the best seamer in the Bangladesh lineup, disturbed the stumps on 4 occasions. The LED stumps lit up like a Christmas tree each time Mustafizur breached the defenses of the batsmen. Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Mitch Santner and Nathan McCullum had their stumps shattered by the young speedster. Ironically, Mustafizur stood on the brink of a historic World T20 hat-trick only to be whacked into the stands by Mitch McCleneghan off the final delivery of the innings. He concluded with figures of 5/22 in his 4 overs, making this the best figures in the current edition of the World T20.

4. New Zealand bowlers turn on the heat:

The legendary Andy Roberts has been quoted saying – “The batsmen withered because the pace gets real hot. The pace is real hot.” We will never know whether Kane Williamson mentioned this to his seamers before taking the field, but there is a weird similarity to the proceeding of the Bangladesh innings. Despite the pace not being as fiery as that of an Andy Roberts or a Michael Holding, the Kiwi bowlers turned on the heat. Bowling with a stern vigor and ferocity they perhaps hadn’t shown previously, the New Zealand bowlers ripped through the Bangladesh attack. Corey Anderson, despite bowling rather economically, was the only bowler who went wicket-less. Grant Elliot’s teasing pace ensured that he ended up with 3 wickets and so did leggie Ish Sodhi.

5. Bangladesh batsmen throw their wickets away:

While the Kiwis were simply magnificent on the field, some horrific shots from the Bangladeshi batsmen ensured that they didn’t have the slightest chance to even make it to half the Kiwi total. It all began with the run-out of perhaps one of their best batsmen – Tamim Iqbal. A hesitation and unwillingness to throw in the dive saw him make his way back to the dugout. Sabbir Rahman, who looked good for some time, threw all his hard work away when he sliced one top Mitchell Santner at deep-square leg. Mustafizur too perished in the similar fashion as Bangladesh’s batting unit collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Should Bangladesh have a future in the game of cricket, they have a long way to go as far as batting is concerned. These sort of shots are simply unacceptable on the international stage.