First lagged behind, then the dice turned… Bangladesh captured the ODI series by defeating New Zealand by 55 runs.

New Delhi. History was created at Zahoor Ahmed Chaudhary Stadium in Chittagong. Bangladesh not only defeated New Zealand in the third ODI, but also captured the trophy by making a spectacular comeback after falling behind in the first match of the series. The heroes of the victory were captain Nazmul Hussain Shanto, who scored a century while playing the captaincy innings, and ‘Fiz’ i.e. Mustafizur Rahman, who broke the back of Kiwi batting with his cutter and accuracy.

After losing the toss and opting to bat first, Bangladesh’s start was like a nightmare. New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke (3-32) wreaked havoc and sent opener Saif Hasan to the pavilion without opening his account. After this, Tanjeed Hasan also got bowled after scoring just 3 runs. When the wicket of Soumya Sarkar (18) fell, Bangladesh was in deep trouble, losing 3 wickets for 32 runs. From here Nazmul Hussain Shanto and Liton Das took charge. There was a huge partnership of 160 runs between the two for the fourth wicket. Liton Das played a fluent inning of 76 runs, while Shanto held one end. After Liton was out, Shanto changed his gear and completed his first ODI century since 2024. His innings of 105 runs gave a strong base to the team.

Bangladesh’s challenging score
Thanks to the useful innings of Tauheed Hriday (33) and Mehdi Hasan Miraz (22) in the middle order, Bangladesh scored 265/8 in the stipulated 50 overs. Will O’Rourke was the most successful bowler for New Zealand, while Ben Lister and Jayden Lennox took two wickets each. Chasing the target of 266 runs, New Zealand also had a shaky start, but Nick Kelly and Dean Foxcroft tried to handle the innings. Nick Kelly (59) was looking in great form and the Kiwi team was looking in a strong position at one time. Then the magic of Mustafizur Rahman worked. He dismissed Nick Kelly with a slow wide ball, and from here the game changed. After this, ‘The Fizz’ trapped the Kiwi batsmen one after the other and took 5 wickets for 43 runs.

Foxcroft’s struggle remained incomplete
Wickets kept falling at one end, but Dean Foxcroft did not give up. He tried to keep New Zealand’s hopes alive by playing an aggressive inning of 75 runs, but he did not get anyone’s support from the other end. The entire New Zealand team collapsed for 210 runs in 44.5 overs. The first ODI was played in Mirpur where New Zealand won by 26 runs. The second ODI was also played in Mirpur where Bangladesh won by 6 wickets and leveled the series 1-1. The third ODI was played in Chittagong where Bangladesh won by 55 runs and won the series 2-1.

Captain Shanto’s stature increased
This series was personally very special for Nazmul Hussain Shanto. Scoring a century in difficult times and helping the team win the series shows his leadership skills. At the same time, Mustafizur Rahman’s return to form is the biggest relief news for Bangladeshi cricket. After winning the ODI series, both the teams now have their eyes on the T20 International series. The three-match T20 series will start in Chittagong next week. Considering the kind of form the Bangladeshi team is in, it will not be easy for the Kiwis to make a comeback in T20.