Match Day - live
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Finished with a six!
Mitchell blazes Shoriful over midwicket for his fourth sixth, sealing victory for New Zealand with more than eight overs to spare. After reaching his maiden World Cup half-century from 43 balls, he biffed 39 off his next 24 to take his side home by eight wickets. A thoroughly comprehensive job, New Zealand move to six points and back on top of the table.
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Reeling them in
Mitchell and Phillips have ensured there will be nothing further for New Zealand fans to worry about in this chase - following the loss of Williamson, who retired hurt "as a precaution", according to NZC. These two have ransacked 41 runs in four overs to bring the Black Caps to brink of a third straight win to start the group stage.
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Another Williamson injury scare...
After an arduous road back to fitness in time to feature at this World Cup, the last thing Kane Williamson needs is to get hit by a stray throw. That's what happened at the start of the 38th over, however, as New Zealand's captain took a quick single to mid-off. He was struck on the thumb of his left hand, which resulted in a lengthy delay and treatment by the physio. After facing one more ball at the end of the over, and another visit from the physio, he opted to retire hurt for 78 off 107 balls midway through the next. Hopefully, for his sake and New Zealand's, it's just precautionary.
In between times, Mitchell has smacked a six and two more fours to bring the RRR under four, now in the company of Glenn Phillips.
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Mitchell makes his move
50 from 43 balls, 2x4 2x6
And just like that, Mitchell’s gone up a gear. A flat sweep for six and he has his eighth ODI fifty.
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Mitchell mooches as NZ cruise
What about Daryl Mitchell then? He lumped his first ball for six over long-off and nearly holed out. He’s just nudged his 37th off his hip to move along to … 37. In between whiles, he’s ticked over with scarcely another shot in anger, save another launch for the ropes that was well clawed in by Litton Das on the ropes. And on the ropes is where Bangladesh remain.
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King Kane in the runs again
50 from 81 balls, 5x4, 1x6
There's a certain inevitability about Williamson's landmark on his return. His sixth World Cup fifty in 24 matches, at an average in excess of 60. That's formidable, and he celebrates with a slap for another four through point, as New Zealand close in on their 246-run target. If he's still there at the end, chances are he'll have gone past 1000 World Cup runs too.
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123 gone, 123 to go
No matter what else happens on his comeback, it seems clear as day that Kane Williamson's peerless pacing of an innings is as measured as ever. An inch-perfect lofted four through long-on off Shakib takes him through to 46 not out from 67 balls at the halfway mark of New Zealand's chase, in both senses. 123 for 2 after 25 overs means another 123 are still required.
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Conway falls as grafting 45 puts NZ on top
It's safe to say that Bangladesh needed a wicket, with Devon Conway and Kane Williamson building slowly into a substantial second-wicket stand of 80, to lift New Zealand to an ominous 92 for 1 after 20 overs. And lo, with the first ball of the 21st, Shakib Al Hasan produces the goods, sliding past an attempted reverse-sweep and extracting three reds on DRS despite Conway's hopeful review.
He's gone for 45 from 59, but he's certainly set the platform, to judge by Daryl Mitchell's opening gambit, an inside-out drive for six over long-off that took the fielder with him. At the other end, Williamson endures on an unhurried 30 from 49, although he should have gone too - Taskin at midwicket failed to cling on in both hands as Shakib induced a loose flick across the line.
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New Zealand still powering up in the powerplay
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Slowly, slowly, New Zealand are warming to the chase... with Kane Williamson crashing two fours through the covers off Shoriful Islam to get his comeback ticking after a sedate 2 from 19 first-up. It's been an aggressive opening gambit from Bangladesh's seamers, waspish on a good length and keeping Devon Conway visibly frustrated in the early stages of his own knock. He gave Mustafizur the charge early on and missed with a slap over the covers, having played and missed in Shoriful's previous over.
But then, on 4 from 15 and after Williamson had played out a maiden at the other end, Conway survived a sharp chance to Mehidy in the covers as he climbed into a square drive. It was the reprieve he needed, as two fours in Shoriful's next over were more like his old self.
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Return of the King
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It's an early departure for New Zealand's coming man, Rachin Ravindra, and an early return for their man for all seasons, Kane Williamson, back at No.3 after six months out with an ACL injury.
Ravindra had just given New Zealand's innings a kickstart too, with a brace of boundaries in the space of three balls from Mustafizur Rahman, the first drilled through the covers, the second sliced through deep third. But then, as if second-guessing his aggression after such a flurry of strokeplay, Ravindra checked his intentions as the Fizz served up a good sharp delivery in the channel outside off, and Mushfiqur gathered the edge behind the stumps.
Williamson has some form with the bat after 91 runs for once out across two comeback innings during New Zealand's World Cup warm-ups, but this is the first time he's come through a full fielding stint beforehand. He managed to keep a low profile in Bangladesh's innings, however, and he's looking his usual unruffled self in the early moments of his innings.
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Mahmudullah grafts as Bangladesh post 245 for 9
Bangladesh 245 for 9 (Mushfiqur 66, Mahmudullah 41*, Ferguson 3-49) vs New Zealand
It's been a scramble but Bangladesh have shown spirit at the death to claw their way to 245 for 9. Mahmudullah duly did the needful with two late sixes, from the first ball of each of the final two overs, but that was New Zealand's show, particularly from the quicks, led by Lockie Ferguson's riotously fast spell. A barrage of short balls rocked Bangladesh back on their heels, and though the Old Firm of Shakib and Mushfiqur added 96 for the fifth wicket, Shakib's apparent bout of cramp was an untimely disruption as he fell for 40.
Those sixes, incidentally, bring up a new World Cup record for Bangladesh:
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Another bouncer, another gone
Henry goes head-hunting once again, and for the second time in this match, Tom Latham finds himself sprinting away to his right to cling onto a steepling top-edge. Mustafizur Rahman's stay is all too brief, and at 225 for 9, it's all on Mahmudullah to clamber to a defendable total. I hear 241 is a good score in World Cups... ooh, and as I speak, Mahmudullah has marmalised Trent Boult's first ball of his final over high over midwicket.
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Santner joins the dots, and draws a wicket
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Taskin Ahmed enjoyed a slap-happy knock of 17 from 19 balls, including a vast six over cow corner to end Lockie Ferguson's outstanding spell on a low note. But Mitchell Santner's own finale proves far more fruitful. Another relentless display of angular left-arm spin ends with a frustrated slog sweep off the sixth ball of his tenth over, hard and flat, but straight down the throat of Daryl Mitchell at deep backward square.
And the wicket is no less than Santner deserves in another magnificent display. Against England in Ahmedabad, he didn't concede a single boundary against the most aggressive ODI line-up in the game; against the Netherlands he cleaned up with the second five-wicket haul of his career. And today he cemented his place at the top of the tournament wicket-takers' charts with another exceptional return of 10-1-31-1, like some tribute act from the 1999 World Cup. Next stop, the prospect of his 100th ODI wicket, against Afghanistan on this same ground in Chennai - where, as a CSK player, he's already known a fair few good times.
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Boult back with a bang
200 ODI wickets for Trent Boult
Knuckle-ball from the old stager Trent Boult, round the wicket, Towhid Hridoy is through his drive too soon, and pokes a simple catch to Mitchell Santner at short cover, who snaffles the chance above his height. This innings is properly on the ropes now, as Taskin emerges at the top of the tail.
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Mighty Atom atomised
Slower ball from Matt Henry, sticks in the pitch and keeps low too, Mushfiqur swings into another pull to leg but ends in a tangled heap on the turf as the ball skids into his stumps. He's gone for a very well-compiled 66 from 75 balls, but the worry for Bangladesh is that he's about the only player who had managed to find a way against New Zealand's pace aggression - usually by staying leg-sided and uppercutting through deep point, although he did unfurl a ramp over the keeper shortly before his demise.
With Mushfiqur gone, though, and with Ferguson and Henry still with two overs apiece up their sleeve, someone else will need to show similar mettle. Mahmudullah is no rookie though. A useful man to have coming in at No.8 at such a pivotal juncture.
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Shakib succumbs to cramp and the short ball
Shakib is cramping up, and his response is to get busy - off comes the helmet, and out come the lusty blows off the spin of Rachin Ravindra, an up-and-over thump through long-off first, then a gallop out of the crease for a massive wipe into the midwicket stands. They are his first boundaries for 23 balls, and suitably liberated, he decides to chance his arm against the pace of Lockie Ferguson too ... it works wonders for one blow, a top-edged pull over deep midwicket, but the next ball is shorter still and sharper, 3kph quicker than the previous, and flies high to deep backward point where Tom Latham races round with the gloves to break a key 96-run stand.
It's Ferguson's third wicket of a superbly hostile spell, and New Zealand have done their homework here. As Al Muthu notes, Bangladesh's batting average (30.75) against short-pitched fast bowling is poor (only two teams of the teams in this World Cup fare worse) and their strike rate (85.64) against this length is the worst among everyone here.
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Mushfiqur fifty continues Bangladesh revival
The uppercut has been a feature of Mushfiqur's game today, and out it comes once more, for a firm biff through deep backward point off the extra pace of Lockie Ferguson. It takes him along to his 57th ODI half-century, his ninth in World Cups, and his second in consecutive innings, after his fighting display against England in Dharmasala. The Mighty Atom is on the march again.
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Old Firm hold firm
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It doesn't get said often enough, but Bangladesh possess a clutch of the most experienced campaigners in all of World Cup history. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim are both playing in their fifth tournament - only Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad, with six, have lasted longer - and at 32 games apiece, they already have more World Cup appearances than any other players in the 2023 event. By the end of the group stages, all things being equal, they'll be into the top six.
And so, who better to piece together a faltering innings than Bangladesh's Old Firm? By the halfway mark, they'd more than doubled Bangladesh's total in an unbroken stand of 62 off 78 balls, with a diet of singles proving the hallmark of the rebuild - aside from Mushfiqur's lusty six over deep midwicket, a calculated blow to persuade Glenn Phillips to leave the stage after his wicket-taking intro.
But, in keeping with the live nostalgia playing out in front of us, let's remember the first great stand between this pair on the World Cup stage. A brace of fifties in a clutch situation, against India at Port of Spain in 2007... it feels a lifetime ago, doesn't it?
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Ferguson, Phillips deepen Bangladesh gloom
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This is fierce pace from Lockie Ferguson, and he's pulling Bangladesh's innings apart. Mehidy Hasan Miraz managed to pump a firm drive on the up through the covers in his previous over, which came out of the screws nicely, but it's not so much fun when Ferguson drags his length back. A 146kph short ball angles in the right-hander and invites a defensive pull, but the ball loops simply into Matt Henry's hands at fine leg.
It's three-down after 12 overs... make that four-down after 12.1! Glenn Phillips, the golden-arm of New Zealand's thumping win over England, produces that first-over magic once more, as Shanto attempts to flick his first ball from round the wicket through the on-side, but manages only a limp prod in the air to short midwicket, where Conway is again on hand, leaping forward to gather. That's three wickets in 5.1 overs for the tournament so far from Phillips. Tidy!
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Change of angle brings Tanzid's downfall
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Lockie Ferguson is into the action in his first over as well, albeit from the last ball this time, as opposed to Boult's first. And it's a floppy dismissal from Tanzid Hasan, whose unease against Ferguson's extra pace is telegraphed by a first-ball bouncer that whistles across his bows, past a wild pull. And so, having pushed him back into the crease from over the wicket for two further balls, Ferguson switches his angle to round, and fires in another full ball, into Tanzid's toes. The upshot is a loose, wafty flick into the leg-side, but straight into Devon Conway's hands at square leg. It's his second single-figure score of the tournament, despite some impressive displays in the warm-ups in Guwahati, and New Zealand are on their way.
In comes Najmul Hossain Shanto, with Bangladesh needing to inject some substance after the early loss of both their openers.
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Boundaries or bust for Bangladesh
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Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have regrouped well after that early indignity, but it's fair to say that running between the wickets has not been a priority so far. Seven boundaries in the first six overs, as well as a three that was well dragged back by Devon Conway in the deep, but just three singles and a two beyond that. It keeps their run-rate ticking around the six-an-over mark, but suggests there's plenty more runs to be found out there on what looks a pristine surface so far.
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Boult strikes first ball!
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Gosh, no messing around from New Zealand. Straight into the action with the ball, as Litton Das shuffles down the track to combat Trent Boult's swing, but all he achieves is a flick in the air to fine leg, where Matt Henry grabs the chance brilliantly!
Boult and first-over wickets. It's a marriage made in Kiwi heaven. It's the first time in Men's World Cup history that New Zealand have struck with the first ball of a match, and it's a birthday duck for Das. Just 29 runs shy of his age...
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New Zealand win the toss and bowl
"Potential dew around, we'll try to make first use," says Kane Williamson, who admits he doubted "a lot of the time" that he would be ready in time for the World Cup. "It wasn't Plan A but a reasonable Plan B, with a lot of family time." He's in for Will Young, with Rachin Ravindra moving up the order to open.
Shakib admits he was "confused" about what he'd do if he won the toss, but "looks a good wicket, ball will come onto the bat nicely". We'll see what happens when the ball goes softer. Mahmudullah is back in the Bangladesh XI, replacing Mahedi Hasan.
Bangladesh Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman
New Zealand Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (capt), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
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Williamson walking out for the toss
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Matchday Live with Kumble and McClenaghan
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Kane is able?
We'll get confirmation soon enough, but there could be a high-profile returnee for New Zealand today, in the form of their captain, Kane Williamson, whose recovery from an ACL rupture has been a long and drawn-out process. But he showed form with the bat in the tournament warm-ups and will provide a timely injection of class to help cement that top-of-the-table feeling.
Karthik Krishnaswamy was looking into that warm glow of the familiar that he will be offering.
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Spin to win for Bangladesh?
What's the verdict? Here's what our Matchday team had to say about the prospect of a spinning wicket in Chennai.
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New Zealand seek third win as Bangladesh look to bounce back
Welcome to Match #11 of 48... it's New Zealand versus Bangladesh in Chennai. The high-flying Kiwis (if that isn't an oxymoron) have started this campaign with ominous form and focus, never more thrillingly displayed than in their nine-wicket evisceration of England in the tournament opener last week. And after seeing off the Netherlands with scarcely a pause for thought, they could make it three from three if they can continue their recent dominance of Bangladesh, a team whom they've beaten in each of their last nine completed ODIs, dating back to February 2019.
As for Bangladesh, they started their campaign well with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan in Dharmasala, but then bumped into England in a vengeful mood at the same venue. And this tricky contest is a continuation of a tough run of games, with India and South Africa next up for them. Nevertheless, a spinning surface at Chennai could give them a chance to get some traction back into their campaign. Win here, and they will join the knot of teams on four points at the top of the table.
The toss is coming up at 1.30pm local time, in just about 40 minutes' time.
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