Bangladesh v New Zealand

At Kimberley, February 26, 2003. New Zealand won by seven wickets. Toss: Bangladesh.

After forfeiting their fixture in Kenya, New Zealand needed the reassurance of a no-nonsense win. A margin of seven wickets with more than 16 overs to spare looked good, but there were signs of rust after their ten-day break. The youngster Mohammad Ashraful audaciously swung Bond for six over long leg during a classy, career-best 56 - Bangladesh's only half-century of the competition - before the captain, Khaled Masud, and Mohammad Rafiq rescued another apparently hopeless position with an unbroken stand of 70 for the eighth wicket. A nervy display by New Zealand's seamers was compounded by several dropped catches. But McMillan, in his new role as opener, whacked a quick 75 off 83 balls in reply, and the finishing touches were applied in a hurry by Styris and Cairns, who added 61 in 41. In the scissors-paper-stone world of Group B, where all the major teams, plus Kenya, were capable of beating one another, New Zealand were not yet guaranteed a place in the Super Six.

Man of the Match: C. D. McMillan. Attendance: 3,712.