New Zealand secured a convincing victory over Bangladesh in the third ODI, clinching the series. The visitors delivered a clinical performance, with their bowlers playing a pivotal role. Milne and Boult quickly dismissed the Bangladeshi openers, while Milne also removed Towhid Hridoy, who attempted a counterattack. Captain Shanto displayed responsible batting but received limited assistance from his fellow teammates. Will Young was named the Player of the Match for his valuable 70-run contribution.
New Zealand continued to take wickets consistently, and after Shanto’s dismissal at 76, they efficiently wrapped up the Bangladeshi tail. The home team could only muster a total of 171 runs. In their pursuit of 172, Finn Allen quickly gained momentum by hitting three consecutive boundaries in the opening over. In the tenth over, Shoriful ended the 49-run opening partnership by dismissing Allen with a well-placed bouncer. He then proceeded to dismiss debutant Foxcroft for a golden duck, which ignited the crowd’s excitement. However, any hopes of a comeback for the home team were extinguished by the 81-run partnership between Will Young and Henry Nicholls for the third wicket.
They played risk-free cricket, and the latter was happy to bide his time out in the middle. Young, meanwhile, kept the scoreboard ticking and punished anything loose to notch up his second fifty of the series.
Nasum delivered a beautiful ball that dismissed the well-set New Zealand opener, who had scored 70 runs. However, this breakthrough came too late for the home team. After being dismissed in the 40s in the first two matches, Nicholls finally achieved a half-century as New Zealand comfortably secured victory with 15.1 overs to spare.
Ferguson collected the trophy and joined his teammates as they posed for photographs. The New Zealand camp was all smiles.
