Batters fail again as Bangladesh lose final T20I

New Zealand finished the series on a high with a resounding 27-run victory over Bangladesh. Bangladesh had the series in the bag already by winning three out of the first four matches. The hosts made as many as four changes as this was their last match before the upcoming T20 World Cup.

New Zealand put up a commendable performance with both bat and ball. Afif Hossain fought valiantly for Bangladesh but got little support from others. 

The visitors won the toss for the fourth time in the series and unsurprisingly chose to bat first. Taskin Ahmed, playing his first match in the series, generated some serious pace and bowled a fantastic opening spell. But Nasum Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were taken to the cleaners by Finn Allen. Allen and Rachin Ravindra were particularly brutal against Shoriful, hitting him for a six and three fours in the third over.

But the left-arm seamer redeemed himself and sent back both the openers in his second over. New Zealand, though, had a very productive powerplay, scoring 58 for the loss of two wickets. Allen scored an aggressive 41 off 24 balls. Ravindra contributed 17 to the total. 

Bangladesh pulled things back really well in the middle overs. They conceded only 49 runs from over number 7 and 15 and picked up two wickets. 

Henry Nicholls was dismissed by Taskin in the 17th over thanks to a magnificent catch by the wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan. Nicholls scored a run-a-ball 21.

Latham started slow but opened up the shoulders towards the end and added 43 off 21 balls with Cole McConchie for the sixth wicket, propelling New Zealand to 161 for five after 20 overs. Latham struck his second fifty of the series and stayed unbeaten on 50 off 37. McConchie played a good hand of 17 not out off 10 balls. 

Bangladesh needed a good start with the bat but the openers- Mohammad Naim and Liton Das- couldn't provide that. They added a run-a-ball 26 before the latter was dismissed by Ajaz Patel. Liton looked out of sorts throughout the innings and could make only 10. 

Bangladesh lost Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Naim quickly, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 39 for three in the eighth over. 

The required run-rate kept on creeping up and it forced Mushfiqur Rahim to play a lofted shot. But he couldn't middle it and ended up holing out to long-off. When he got out, Bangladesh still needed 116 off 67 to win with six wickets in hand. 

Afif Hossain and Mahmudullah initially took a bit of time to play themselves in and then put the foot down. They took 15 and 12 off the 14th and 15th over respectively and brought the equation down to 56 off five overs. Afif hit a six off McConchie and a four and a six off Ajaz Patel to bring Bangladesh back into the game. 

Scott Kuggelein then bowled five quiet deliveries in the next over which once again put the pressure back on Bangladesh. Mahmudullah, in an attempt to smash a boundary, hit the ball straight into the hands of the deep cover fielder. Things were then looking ominous for the hosts as they still required 53 off four overs to win. 

Bangladesh lost another as Nurul Hasan was pinned in front by Ajaz Patel in the next over, making this more difficult for Bangladesh. Two good overs from Kuggelein and Patel meant Bangladesh needed 48 off just 18 balls. 

But it proved too many for the Tigers in the end as they fell short by 27 runs. Afif's innings was the lone shining light for Bangladesh in the series. The southpaw remained unbeaten on 49 off 33. Bangladesh were restricted to 134 for eight. 

The Black Caps put up an impressive show with the ball. All the bowlers chipped in with at least one wicket. 

Tom Latham was adjudged Man of the Match for his valiant knock and was also the player of the series along with Nasum Ahmed.