New Zealand cricketers during a match. (Photo credit: BLACKCAPS) New Zealand produced a disciplined all-round performance to seal a comfortable 26-run win over Bangladesh in the opening ODI of the three-match series on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead.Battling scorching conditions, New Zealand’s speed attack proved decisive as they bowled out Bangladesh for 221 in 48.3 overs after setting a target of 248 on a slow surface. The trio of Blair Tickner, Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke shared eight wickets, sparking the chase with sustained pressure.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Earlier, when New Zealand elected to bat, they posted 247/8, built around a composed 68 from Henry Nicholls and a brisk 59 from Dean Foxcroft. After losing an early wicket, Nicholls leveled the innings with 73 runs alongside Will Young, who contributed 30. Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam impressed on his return, finishing with 2/27 in the close.Bangladesh’s chase got off to a poor start as they reached 21/2, but a battling partnership between Saif Hasan (57) and Liton Das (46) revived hopes. However, O’Rourke’s breakthrough removed Saif and precipitated a collapse at the crucial stage.A brief resistance followed as Towhid Hridoy and Afif Hossain stitched together a 52-run stand, but left-armer Jayden Lennox broke the partnership, leaving Bangladesh with too much to do in the final over.Tickner, who had an inconsistent start, came back to produce a winning spell, taking four wickets in his last outburst to clear the tail. Smith also made a major impact early on, striking twice in consecutive deliveries to finish with three wickets.New Zealand’s excellent performances with both bat and ball ultimately ensured a commanding start to the series, leaving Bangladesh with plenty to deal with ahead of the must-win second ODI.
