Black Caps clinch T20I series with thrilling Duckworth-Lewis win over Bangladesh
Santner and Neesham master rain-hit chase to level series as Bangladesh hopes dashed
In the third and final Twenty20 international on Sunday, New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by 17 runs (by DLS method) thanks to a 46-run partnership between Mitchell Santner (4/16 and 18 not out) and James Neesham (28 not out). Bangladesh's hopes of winning a series in New Zealand were also shattered by the Black Caps' victory, as the T20I leg ended in a 1-1 draw.
Captain Santner and Neesham both had brilliant ideas. In a race against gathering dark clouds and rain, New Zealand had to overcome another top-order collapse and pursue Bangladesh's pitiful total of just 110.
When Neesham and Santner combined, New Zealand was down 49/5 in the ninth over and trailing using the DLS method. When rain suddenly arrived and ended the match prematurely, they remained together and guided New Zealand to 95-5 in 14.4 overs.
"I believe we were always aware that there would be some rain, whether it arrived at the end of the second inning or halfway through," Santner remarked. "It was good to cross the finish line in a pretty hard-fought series, and the bowlers did their jobs upfront."
Driven by strong winds, spectators made a mad dash for the exits of Bay Oval in extraordinary scenes as the rain poured down. The DLS calculation said that New Zealand needed to be ahead by 79.
Brief results: M. Santner 4/16; Bangladesh 110 in 19.2 overs. In 14.4 overs, New Zealand scored 95/5 (F. Allen 38, J. Neeshan 28 n.o.).
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