Latham and Munro topple Bangladesh

Tom Latham and Colin Munro set up New Zealand's 77-run win in Christchurch, after their 158-run stand for the fifth wicket pulled the hosts out of a difficult position. The result left Bangladesh with a lot of worries, from their fast bowlers' lack of discipline to Mushfiqur Rahim retiring hurt with a potential hamstring injury.

Latham played one of his more fluent innings and made a career-best 137. Along with Munro, who made a 61-ball 87, Latham led New Zealand to 341 for 7 - their highest total in ODIs against Bangladesh.

In reply, Bangladesh ended on 264 for 9 in 44.5 overs, after James Neesham's double-wicket maiden tilted the contest in New Zealand's favour, and Lockie Ferguson's short balls sealed it.

Latham had started with a punch through covers in the third over, and continued timing the ball well through his innings. His first six was a pick-up over square leg off Soumya Sarkar, before he dropped anchor. That Latham batted until the 48th over was a relief for New Zealand, considering how they had begun.

Hagley Oval had provided a pitch with true pace and bounce, and all a batting side needed was partnerships. Kane Williamson won the toss but every time two of his batsmen seemed to have the measure of Bangladesh, they faltered.

Mustafizur Rahman, in his first international match since July, got rid of Martin Guptill with a slower ball in the sixth over. Williamson had looked solid, becoming the joint fourth fastest to 4000 ODI runs - 96 innings - before he was caught behind off a short ball from Taskin Ahmed for 31. Shakib Al Hasan then removed Neil Broom, playing his first ODI in six years, and Neesham in the space of 4.1 overs, both lbw playing back to full deliveries.

New Zealand were 158 for 4 in the 29th over, their middle order exposed. In a matter of a few overs, however, they were in a position of strength. Munro walked in, struck the fifth ball he faced for six, and backed it up with a rasping cover drive off Shakib.

Latham and Munro lifted the score by 70 between the 30th and 40th overs, setting an excellent platform for the final ten. After Latham reached a hundred on his home ground - his father Rod was watching from the stands - with a pulled six off Taskin in the 40th over, Munro moved to his third fifty, peppering the boundaries at square leg and long-on.

Bangladesh conceded 103 in the last ten overs, but more grating to them were three dropped catches. Though none of them cost much - Broom was given a reprieve on 17 and fell for 22, Munro lasted only two balls after his second life, and Latham added 22 after he was dropped - Bangladesh's bowling and fielding suggested they were undercooked.

Mustafizur was returning from shoulder surgery on his bowling arm and his pace was markedly slower, though his cutters seemed unaffected. He finished with 2 for 62. Mashrafe Mortaza faded away after his first spell, and Taskin was far too short for most of his nine overs. Shakib, the lead spinner, had to settle for his most expensive three-for while part-timers Sarkar and Mosaddek Hossain hardly looked penetrating in their combined 11 overs. It begged the question: why didn't Mashrafe use Mahmudullah at all?

A good start was vital for Bangladesh to chase down the target but opener Imrul Kayes - after top-edging for four and six in the second over - was caught behind off Tim Southee in the eighth. The batsman opted for a review, and it confirmed the edge.

Neesham then put Bangladesh in more trouble when he dismissed Sarkar and Mahmudullah in his first over. Sarkar was caught at mid-off for 1, before Mahmudullah nicked off for 0, leaving Bangladesh 48 for 3 in the 12th over. Thirty-three runs were added for the fourth wicket before Tamim Iqbal's upper-cut found Mitchell Santner, who ran in from the sweeper cover boundary to complete the catch.

Shakib was faced with a bouncer barrage during his 54-ball stay and he took it on, striking five fours and two sixes, one of which was a massive blow over wide long-on off Ferguson. Against the following delivery, fast and short again, Shakib was late on the pull shot and was caught at short midwicket for 59.

Mushfiqur added 52 for the seventh wicket with Mosaddek Hossain, but hurt his hamstring while completing a tight single in the 38th over. He called for the physio immediately and hung around for a couple of overs after some medical attention, but eventually decided to retire hurt. He had made 42 off 48 balls.

Bangladesh's run-rate had matched New Zealand's until about the 40th over, but the visitors had lost too many wickets to keep up. Mosaddek's fast fifty, laced with three sixes and five fours, was one of the few positives they could take to Nelson for the remaining two ODIs.