Road Safety World Series 2022: Kyle Mills shines as New Zealand Legends beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets

With the match being reduced to 11 overs per side due to wet outfield, New Zealand chased down the target of 99 in 9.3 overs, with 9 balls to spare as their captain finished it off in style.

NZ Legends didn’t get the best of starts as their opener Anton Devcich was dismissed for 2 by all-rounder Abdur Razzak in the third over when the scorecard read 14. Meanwhile, Dean Brownlie and Jamie How looked unfazed and shared a stand of 41 off 18 balls and the Kiwis were 55 for two in 5.3 overs. Bangladesh all-rounder Alok Kapali – who also starred with the bat – ended the threatening partnership as he deceived Jamie How (26 runs off 17 balls) with his leg-spin and clean bowled him.

The fifth over bowled by Dolar Mahmud yielded 21 runs to the NZ Legends and gave the chasing side the required momentum. Riding upon the fine start by top-order batters, the BlackCaps kept motoring along. Captain Taylor – who walked in at two down – posted an unbeaten 30 off 17 deliveries and finished the game for New Zealand with two consecutive maximums and a double off Kapali. While Brownlie remained unbeaten on 31 off 19 balls.

Put in to bat first, Bangladesh – who were being led by Mohammad Sharif in this game – were off to a disastrous start in the powerplay. But an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 83 runs off 51 between Dhiman Ghosh and Alok Kapali helped Bangladesh post a respectable total of 98 for three in 11 overs.

Kapali smashed a 21-ball 37 (not out). At the same time, wicketkeeper-batsman Dhiman Ghosh scored an unbeaten 41 off 32 deliveries as they dominated Kiwi bowlers in the middle overs of the match was curtailed to 11 overs per innings due to wet outfield.

Opener Nazimuddin was the first wicket to perish as the right-handed batter was caught at point by Anton Devcich off Kyle Mills on the second ball of the innings for a duck.

In the next over, right-arm medium pacer Hamish Bennett dismissed the second opener Mehrab Hossain by getting caught at deep third man and Devcich pouched the ball in his hands.

Aftab Ahmed cleared his intentions as the right-handed middle-order batter scored a quickfire 13 off 9 balls before Mills made him his second victim. Ahmed hit a six and a boundary before getting caught by Scott Styris in the third over of the innings.

From 15/3, the duo of Kapali and Ghosh steadied the ship for the Bangladesh Tigers and it was their partnership which helped the Men in Green post a fighting total for their bowlers. While Kapali was the aggressor in the stand of 83, Ghosh played the anchor’s role. The duo together smashed six fours and three sixes in their union and punished the loose deliveries from every Kiwi bowler in between the 4th and 11th over.

For New Zealand, Kyle Mills was the pick of the bowlers as the right-arm quick returned with impressive figures of 2/11 from two overs and bagged the player of the match award for his sensational bowling in the powerplay.