BAN vs NZ | 3rd T2OI: Ajaz Patel gives hosts taste of their own medicine to keep series alive

New Zealand batsmen have not been able to find a way around Bangladesh spinners to come at the top of the game but they also had quality spinners in their rank to stage a comeback in the five-match series.

They unleashed their spin duo of Ajaz Patel and Cole McConchie to stop the hosts from getting an unassailable lead in the series. Chasing a target of 126 runs, which have been proven to be stiff to get on pitches in the country, Bangladesh were blown away at 77 runs after a decent start against the new ball.

Ajaz Patel was their tormentor in chief by picking a four-wicket haul while the off-spinner McConchie provided excellent support with a three-wicket haul. The right-armer started the rough ride for the hosts and Patel made life terrible for them with the big wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah to not allow them a breathing space in the middle order.

In the end, there was no one to rescue the hosts and the spin twins shared seven wickets between them to leave Bangladesh on the mat and helped the Blackcaps win the first game of the series.

Earlier, the Blackcaps too did not have a great start in the first innings with the bat as Fin Allen was done in by Mustafizur, who had not had a great game in the second game of the series. Then, the partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Will Young stabilised New Zealand.

However, before they could take the game away from the hosts, Mohammad Saifuddin struck twice and halted their momentum in the middle phase of the game.

With half of the side back to the pavilion and a series loss in sight at the halfway stage of the game, Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell batted with a risk-free approach to take the tourists to a respectable total.

The win by New Zealand has opened up the series in a cracking way and has also asked some questions of the Bangladesh batting group, whose failures were getting brushed under the carpet with the domination of opposition batsmen by the spinners so far in the series.