Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed produced a moment of brilliance in the field when he plucked a one-handed blinder at short fine-leg to send New Zealand opener Martin Guptill packing during the second T20I at McLean Park in Napier on Tuesday (March 30).
Guptill, batting on 21, flicked a length delivery from Mohammad Saifuddin towards the fine-leg boundary. The shot, carrying ample pace off the delivery, was speeding past Taskin when he leapt to his left side, stretching his left-arm to reach the ball.
As soon as Taskin managed to complete the catch, ecstatic celebrations began among his Bangladesh teammates.
Here’s the video:
https://twitter.com/sparknzsport/status/1376783554818924550
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field. In a rain-hit match, New Zealand posted 173/5 on the board in 17.5 overs. Each of their top four batsmen got off to starts, but they failed to convert them into significant scores. It was middle-order batsman Glenn Phillips (58 not out off 31) and all-rounder Daryl Mitchell who propelled the hosts to a competitive total.
The DLS method came into play, and Bangladesh’s target was revised to 171 in 16 overs. Soumya Sarkar (51) and Mohammad Naim (38) stitched an 81-run partnership for the second wicket after Liton Das (6) got out cheaply.
However, the two fell in a span of two overs, which ended Bangladesh’s chances of achieving the target. The visitors could manage 142/7 in 16 overs and lost the contest by 28 runs.
After winning the first two games, New Zealand have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
