BAN vs NZ 1st T20I: Bangladesh ease past New Zealand to take early lead

Match overview

Bangladesh have drawn first blood in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand with a convincing six-wicket win in the first fixture played at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram on Monday, April 27.

Tawhid Hridoy was the Player of the Match (POTM) as he played the finisher's role to perfection and smashed an unbeaten half-century (51* off 27) to help Bangladesh ace the target of 183 with 12 balls to spare.

The Bangla Tigers got off to a decent start with Saif Hassan (17 off 16) and Tanzid Hasan (20 off 25) adding 41 in 5.3 overs. Both batters struggled for fluency, and that reflected in Bangladesh's scoring rate.

Skipper Litton Das fell for a 15-ball 21 as he tried to pull the asking rate down. But Hridoy and Parvez Hossain Emon added 57 runs for the fourth wicket off just 28 balls to tilt the momentum in favour of the hosts. While Emon fell to Josh Clarkson, it didn't bother Bangladesh much as Shamim Hossain's captivating cameo (31* off 13) sealed the deal at the end.

Earlier, Das won the toss and put the Kiwis into bat. The tourists lost Tim Robinson for just 11 on the board. But Dane Cleaver (51 off 28) and Katene Clarke (51 off 37) added 88 for the second wicket off just 50 deliveries to steady the ship.

Dane Cleaver lbw by Rishad Hossain 🎯🔥Another breakthrough for Bangladesh 🇧🇩💪#BCB #BANvsNZ #T20 #Cricket #Tigers pic.twitter.com/VDmz3Tf8im

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) April 27, 2026

However, Rishad Hossain showcased once again why he has become central to Bangladesh's white-ball plans in such a short span of time. He dismissed both batters in quick succession to derail New Zealand's innings.

Skipper Nick Kelly, who filled in for Tom Latham, played a steady hand of 39 off 27 deliveries. Clarkson's 14-ball unbeaten 27 helped the visitors post 182.

Rishad was the pick of all the Bangladesh bowlers as he finished with figures of 2/32 in the end.

Top run-scorer of the match

Top wicket-taker of the match

Player of the Match

Tawhid Hridoy

Hridoy didn't flinch even when the asking rate was gradually mounting, and the game was slipping away from Bangladesh's grasp. He was instinctive in terms of his strokeplay and backed his skills to ace the challenge thrown at him by the Kiwis.

Turning Point

Shamim Hossain's 31* off 13 turned the game on its head. He came to bat when Bangladesh still needed 49 off 31 deliveries. He took the pressure off Hridoy by taking the attack to the Blackcaps.

What the captains said

Winning Team Captain, Litton Das (Bangladesh)

"[Positive start] Yeah, definitely. I think it was a really good match. I'm happy with the way we batted, especially Hridoy. He and Emon played really well in the middle, and obviously, Shamim finished the game. [Losing only 1 wicket in the powerplay] 183 is a big total at this ground because the wicket was not that easy to bat on; it was slow during the change of innings. I said we needed runs in the powerplay. If you get a good score early, it makes it easier for the middle order. The way Emon, Hridoy, and Shamim batted made it look easy, but it really wasn't. [Looking comfortable out there] Yeah, definitely. But that ball stayed a little bit low. As a batsman, one ball is all it takes, and when it stays down like that, you can't do anything."

Losing Team Captain, Nick Kelly (New Zealand)

" [Nearly won the series opner] Yeah, I thought 180 was a pretty competitive total on that surface. At the halfway mark, we thought we might have been just above par. So, we were happy with 180, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. [77/2 in the 10th over] Yeah, definitely. After the 10th, we thought we were on top. But I think it just shows in T20; it's not letting the fielding team settle after a couple of wickets. We felt like after Sodhi got that third wicket, we were right on top and thought maybe we could squeeze for a couple of overs. But it wasn't the case. They came out with some good intent, and once the batters were in, they were able to play their shots. Our execution probably wasn't quite where it needed to be today. [10-15 runs short?] Yeah, always; when you lose the game, you think you probably needed a little bit more. Their hitting ability tonight was nice. I think they had eight or nine sixes while we were around the four to five mark, so that was probably the main difference. But we'll learn from today and be back in a couple of days to go again."