RESULT
1st ODI, Chattogram, November 02, 2004, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh
(31.5/50 ov, T:225) 86

New Zealand won by 138 runs

Player Of The Match
74 (83)
chris-cairns
Report

Cairns lifts New Zealand to thumping win

Bangladesh crumble after a spirited performance on the field

New Zealand 224 (Cairns 74, Nazmul 4-40) beat Bangladesh 86 (Mills 4-14) by 138 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details


Chris Cairns rescued New Zealand with an aggressive 74 © AFP
Not for the first time, Bangladesh's batting fell apart after a spirited performance in the field. Chasing 225, they imploded to 86 all out as the batsmen threw it away with a reckless approach. New Zealand's batsmen were not entirely comfortable either, but a well-paced 74 from Chris Cairns took them to a respectable total. It proved to be more than enough.
All of Bangladesh's batsmen came out with an over-aggressive mindset, and their attempts to hit every ball landed them in the mire. Kyle Mills and Scott Styris did manage to get some movement off the pitch, but the batsmen played too many shots, too early. Only Habibul Bashar passed 20, and four of the top five didn't even manage 5. It wasn't menacing bowling that undid them. They just dissolved.
Aftab Ahmed shuffled right across and was trapped in front by a Mills incutter, while Javed Omar, the other opener, sliced a short one straight to Peter Fulton at third man. Rajin Saleh walked into the trap laid out for him, whipping a good-length ball straight to Craig McMillan at short square leg, while Mohammad Ashraful feathered an edge to Brendon McCullum behind the stumps (27 for 4).
Bashar and Manjural Islam Rana scratched around, enduring long periods when no runs were scored, but once they fell, the rest unravelled. Daniel Vettori, who became the first spinner to captain New Zealand, had picked up 20 wickets in the Test series, but Bangladesh were already six down before he brought himself on. And, as if blessed with a magic touch, he struck with his very first ball, as Manjural danced down the track and edged a wide one to Styris at first slip (68 for 7). The end was not long delayed, and Vettori was soon celebrating a win in his opening game as captain.


Nazmul Hossain was the star of Bangladesh's attack, with four wickets, but his batsmen couldn't perform as well © AFP
The morning, though, was a struggle for the New Zealand batsmen. Nazmul Hossain, the 17-year-old medium-pacer, bowled a fine opening spell as he restricted the run-flow on a shirt-front pitch, and snapped up two crucial wickets as well. Hossain, playing just his third one-dayer, was consistent with his line outside off, and surprised the batsmen with his zip and appreciable inward movement off the pitch. His hustling manner was similar to Tapash Baisya's, and he nailed Fulton, the debutant, and Nathan Astle with balls that cut back in sharply.
Manjural and Mohammad Rafique, the two left-arm spinners, carried on the bottle-up operation as the ball lost its shine and the pitch showed signs of becoming slower and lower. The bowlers were also supported by some sprightly fielding and Bangladesh's strangling tactics yielded three more wickets.
Walking in at 94 for 5, Cairns was forced to curb his natural instincts, and push and glide rather than dominate. He added 49 with Styris, playing a number of balls behind square with sweeps and reverse-sweeps. But with wickets falling at the other end, and the overs running out quickly, he launched into a ferocious assault. The medium-pacers, who had bowled so well in the morning, were carted for 36 in the last 3.2 overs, including four sixes, and Cairns had erased most of Bangladesh's good work inside few minutes.
The rest of the good work was obliterated by their own batsmen.

AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
Bangladesh Innings
<1 / 3>