On a rain-disrupted match day in Mirpur, Bangladesh, debutant batter Bevon Jacobs delivered a career-defining innings to drag New Zealand back from the brink of defeat, securing a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third and final T20 of their three-match series on Saturday. The result left the all-square series tied at 1-1, after the hosts claimed a six-wicket win in the opening fixture and the second match was washed out entirely by bad weather.
Bangladesh, sent into bat first by New Zealand, got off to a rocky start that foreshadowed their eventual collapse. The hosts lost their first three wickets in just 14 deliveries, slumping to 50-3 after 6.4 overs before a heavy rainstorm halted play for more than two hours. The match was cut to a 15-over-per-side contest when play resumed, and Bangladesh’s aggressive all-out attacking strategy backfired spectacularly. The hosts lost their final seven wickets for only 39 runs off 35 balls, being bowled out for 102 in 14.2 overs.
Towhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with 33 runs, while captain Litton Das contributed 26 and opener Saif Hassan added 16. No other Bangladesh batter reached double figures, capping off a dismal batting performance. For New Zealand, pacer Josh Clarkson put in a career-best display, claiming 3 wickets for just 9 runs in his two overs. Fast bowlers Ben Sears and Nathan Smith supported Clarkson with two wickets each, tearing through Bangladesh’s lower order. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi also made history, picking up 1 wicket for 22 runs to overtake Tim Southee as New Zealand’s leading T20 wicket-taker with 165 career wickets, one more than Southee’s 164.
New Zealand’s chase got off to a disastrous start, putting the tourists firmly on track for a series defeat. Pacer Shoriful Islam gave Bangladesh a massive early advantage, claiming three wickets for only four runs in his opening two overs, leaving New Zealand reeling at 25-3 after just four overs. Off-spinner Mahedi Hasan extended the hosts’ momentum by dismissing stand-in captain Nick Kelly soon after, dropping New Zealand to 33-4 and leaving the side in a precarious position.
But Jacobs, playing in the early stages of his international career, turned the tide of the match single-handedly. Captain Das kept Shoriful in the attack, and Jacobs responded by hammering consecutive boundaries off the pacer to ease mounting pressure on New Zealand. The young batter brought up his maiden international half-century off 29 balls, finishing the innings unbeaten on 62 runs off just 31 deliveries, a knock that included five fours and three towering sixes. Jacobs sealed the victory in style with back-to-back boundaries, hitting a boundary followed by a six to push New Zealand to 104-4 after 11.4 overs, completing the required chase with more than three overs to spare. Shoriful Islam finished as Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker with 3 wickets for 19 runs, denied a match-winning performance by Jacobs’ sensational knock.