New Zealand win rain-hit T20 to end Bangladesh series 1-1

DHAKA: Bevon Jacobs struck an unbeaten 62 to guide New Zealand to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in a rain-hit third T20 international on Saturday, with the series ending 1-1.

Chasing 103 in a revised 15-over contest, New Zealand slipped to 33-4 before Jacobs and Dean Foxcroft put on an unbeaten stand of 71 to reach the target in 11.4 overs in Dhaka.

Bangladesh won the opener before the second match was rained off.

Shoriful Islam produced a fiery opening spell and struck twice in his first over to remove opener Katene Clarke and number three Dane Cleaver, both out for one.

READ MORE: Shanto, Rahman fire as Bangladesh seal 2-1 ODI series win over New Zealand

He returned in his second over to bowl Tim Robinson, who made 23 off 14 balls, and New Zealand slumped further when off-spinner Mahedi Hasan dismissed stand-in captain Nick Kelly for one.

Jacobs hit five fours and three sixes in his 31-ball knock and got the chase back on track in a well-crafted partnership with Foxcroft, who made 15.

He took on Shoriful in his final overs to wrest back the momentum while Foxcroft played the anchor role.

Shoriful was Bangladesh’s standout bowler with 3-19.

New Zealand’s bowlers earlier bundled Bangladesh out for 102 in 14.2 overs.

Bangladesh never recovered from a disastrous powerplay that saw them lose three wickets in quick succession.

Opener Saif Hassan started strongly with two boundaries before falling for 16 on the first ball of debutant left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox’s international career.

Nathan Smith bowled Tanzid Hasan Tamim for six and then sent Parvez Hossain Emon back for a first-ball duck, leaving Towhid Hridoy to survive the hat-trick ball.

Captain Litton Das injected some urgency, scoring a brisk 26 off 17, but his dismissal after a long rain break left the hosts in trouble.

Hridoy anchored the middle overs before falling to a Josh Clarkson yorker, and Ben Sears wrapped up the tail with two quick wickets.

Clarkson led the bowling with 3-9, while Smith and Lennox took two wickets each.

Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi became New Zealand’s all-time leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals, surpassing pace bowler Tim Southee’s record to reach 165 wickets.

Litton broke the Bangladesh wicketkeeping record for most dismissals, going past Mushfiqur Rahim’s tally of 62 to set a new mark of 64.

Bangladesh won the preceding ODI series 2-1.