New Zealand 244 for 9 (Sinclair 70, Ashraful 3-26) beat Bangladesh 77 (Bond 4-21) by 167 runs
Scorecard

A match which promised much for Bangladesh at the halfway stage turned into complete disaster, as Shane Bond ripped apart their feeble batting line-up. In the end, 244 turned out to be plenty of runs for New Zealand, as they blasted out Bangladesh for 77 in 19.3 overs to romp home by 167 runs.

Bowling a consistent line around off stump at speeds touching 145kph, Mr Bond had too many secret weapons for the hapless Bangladeshi batsmen. Seven of the first eight wickets fell to catches behind the wicket. Stephen Fleming gave his bowlers plenty of support in that region, employing four slips and a gully, and the batsmen obliged readily.

Bond started the slide in the first over with an in-dipper which struck Al-Shahriar Rokon on the pad with the batsman offering no shot. Asoka de Silva didn't hesitate in giving marching orders to Al-Shahriar, who departed for a golden duck.

Jacob Oram, who shared the new ball with Bond, joined in the fun briefly, when Nathan Astle plucked a magnificent left-handed catch off a Javed Omar slash (8 for 2). Bond took over thereafter, having Mohammad Ashraful (1), Alok Kapali (2) and Khaled Masud (1) caught in the cordon behind the stumps. Bangladesh's innings was in a shambles as Bond finished his four-over spell with figures of 4 for 15. Some token resistance allowed Bangladesh to scrape past their lowest one-day score – 76 against Sri Lanka at the same venue in August this year.

Their spineless batting display put to shade a spirited performance in the field, when Bangladesh's bowlers shackled the New Zealanders, allowing them just 154 runs in the last 35 overs. On a slow pitch that wasn't ideal for strokeplay, Bangladesh's spinners kept a tight leash on the batsmen and seemed to justify Khaled Masud's decision to field first.

Bangladesh's performance with the new ball was a mixed bag. Manjural Islam maintained excellent control, and took the first wicket when Astle flayed to point for 5 (11 for 1), but Talha Jubair – coming in for Tapash Baisya - was all over the place, bowling nine wides and conceding 46 runs in five overs.

Fleming managed an undistinguished 31, mostly off edges and miscues, and when Lou Vincent was caught behind for 1 (77 for 3), Bangladesh had reason to celebrate their first 75 minutes in the field.

Mohammad Rafique then led the spin attack, varying his pace and flight quite beautifully. Masud even had confidence to bowl him at the death, and Rafique didn't disappoint, going for just 39 runs from his 10 overs. Mathew Sinclair's painstaking 70, off 122 balls, held the innings together, but did little to increase the scoring rate.

Jacob Oram injected some late momentum with a 27-ball 30, but Bangladesh would have settled for a total of 244 to chase. By the time they finished with an abysmal batting performance, it was quite apparent that question-marks about their ability to play at the highest level would surface again.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.

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