Hridoy, Shamim seal record chase as Bangladesh down New Zealand

Published : Monday, 27 April, 2026 at 7:04 PM Count : 8

Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain Patwary powered Bangladesh to their highest successful chase at home as the Tigers overhauled New Zealand's 182-6 by six wickets with 12 balls to spare in the first T20 international at Chattogram on Monday.

Hridoy anchored the innings with a composed unbeaten 51 off 27 balls — his sixth T20 fifty — while Shamim blew the chase open with a stunning 31 not out off just 13 balls. The left-hander smashed 25 runs off Matthew Fisher in the 17th over to put the result beyond doubt, as Bangladesh took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The win also etched itself into the record books, surpassing Bangladesh's previous best home chase of 171 against Ireland last November.

Bangladesh had started cautiously, with openers Saif Hassan (17 off 16) and Tanzid Hasan Tamim (20 off 25) putting on a watchful 41-run stand before both perished. Captain Litton Das then lifted the tempo with a punchy 21 off 15, before Parvez Hossain Emon's explosive 28 off 14 set the stage for Hridoy and Shamim to finish the job in style.

For New Zealand, Ish Sodhi was the standout bowler with two wickets while Josh Clarkson and Nathan Smith picked up one each.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Litton Das won the toss and elected to bowl, and his decision bore early fruit when a mid-crease mix-up between the New Zealand openers saw Tim Robinson run out by a direct throw from Hridoy in the second over.

But Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver counter-attacked brilliantly, using their footwork to manufacture boundaries and take New Zealand to a powerplay score of 61. The pair added 88 off 50 balls in a stand that threatened to take the game away from the hosts.

Clarke, who was given a lifeline when Saif grassed a catch on 44, went on to register his first T20 fifty, scoring 51 off 37 with seven fours and a six. Cleaver was even more destructive, stroking 51 off just 28 balls before both fell to the wiles of leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.

Stand-in skipper Nick Kelly chipped in with 39 off 27 to consolidate, while Clarkson's breezy 27 not out off 14 propelled New Zealand to a competitive 182-6.

Rishad was the wrecker-in-chief with 2-32, with Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz each claiming one wicket.

New Zealand were captained by Kelly after regular skipper Tom Latham was ruled out with a toe injury sustained in training, while Bangladesh gave a debut to pacer Ripon Mondol on a memorable day for the Tigers.

FP/MI