Agency :
Bangladesh ‘A’ made a dominant start to their one-day series against New Zealand ‘A’ with a resounding 7-wicket victory at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The hosts bundled out the visitors for just 147 runs before comfortably chasing down the target with 22.4 overs and 7 wickets to spare.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, New Zealand ‘A’ had a disastrous start, losing their first wicket for just 5 runs. By the end of the 7th over, their top four batters were back in the pavilion without scoring a single run. The early damage was done by pacers Khaled Ahmed and Shoriful Islam, who shared four wickets between them.
Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam then took control of the middle overs, adding three wickets to his name. The visitors were reeling at 85 for 9, but Rhys Mariu (42 off 51) and Dean Foxcroft (72 off 64) helped them reach 147 before being bowled out in 34.3 overs.
For Bangladesh, Khaled and Tanvir took three wickets each, while Shoriful bagged two and Ebadot Hossain added two more to the tally.
Chasing a modest target, Bangladesh ‘A’ started positively, putting up 30 runs in just 4 overs. However, they lost opener Naim Sheikh for 18 off 20 balls. Parvez Hossain Emon played a brisk cameo of 24 from 12 balls but couldn’t convert it into a big score.
The chase was steadied by a composed partnership between Anamul Haque and Mahidul Islam Ankon. The pair added 55 runs for the third wicket, taking Bangladesh close to victory. Anamul fell for 38 off 45 balls, but Mahidul remained unbeaten on 42 off 61 to guide the team home.
With this dominant win, Bangladesh ‘A’ take a 1-0 lead in the three-match unofficial ODI series, showcasing both bowling firepower and batting depth.
