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New Zealand rode on Rachin Ravindra's sizzling century and Michael Bracewell's four-fer to defeat Bangladesh by five wickets and storm into the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals. Bangladesh's defeat further confirmed India's semifinal berth and ended Pakistan's campaign in the ongoing tournament.
Batting first, Bangladesh, despite Najmul Hossain Shanto's captain's knock of 77 runs could only post 236/9. In reply, Rachin Ravindra's century ensured New Zealand chase down the lowly target without breaking a sweat. New Zealand and India notched wins in their first two matches, thus became the two teams from Group A to progress into the Champions Trophy semifinals.
Rachin Ravindra towering century steers New Zealand to 5-wicket win over Bangladesh
New Zealand's run chase began poorly, with the early dismissals of Will Young and Kane Williamson leaving them struggling at 15 runs. However, they recovered strongly, completing the chase in 46.1 overs, largely thanks to Rachin Ravindra's impressive 112 off 105 balls, which included 12 fours and a six.
Tom Latham's contribution of 55 runs from 76 balls, coupled with his crucial 129-run partnership with Ravindra for the fourth wicket, ultimately secured New Zealand's victory. This partnership proved to be the decisive factor in the match.
Despite New Zealand's eventual success, Bangladesh's bowlers had moments of brilliance. Taskin Ahmed delivered a spectacular inswinging delivery to dismiss Will Young, shattering his stumps before New Zealand had scored a run. Nahid Rana, returning to the team after being surprisingly omitted from the previous match against India, quickly dismissed Kane Williamson, who edged a delivery to Mushfiqur Rahim.
Devon Conway and Ravindra then formed a 57-run partnership, providing some stability, but Mustafizur Rahman dismissed Conway, leaving New Zealand in a precarious position at 72 for three. Ultimately, the match-winning partnership between Ravindra and Latham proved too strong for Bangladesh.
Michael Bracewell's wizardry leaves Bangladesh in a spin
Earlier, Michael Bracewell's fiery four-fer bundled out Bangladesh for 236/9. New Zealand's captain, Mitchell Santner, opted to bowl first, a decision that proved fruitful as a collective bowling effort limited Bangladesh to a manageable target.
Bangladesh began their innings with a reasonably strong start, with openers Najmul Hossain Shanto and Tanzid Hasan establishing a 45-run partnership. However, Tanzid's dismissal in the ninth over marked the beginning of a series of regular wicket losses for Bangladesh. They struggled to build momentum and found themselves reeling at 118/5 by the 27th over, with Shanto remaining as a lone bastion.
Despite the mounting pressure, Shanto finally found a reliable partner in middle-order batsman Jaker Ali. Ali, who had recently showcased his batting prowess with a century against India in Dubai, provided much-needed support, offering a glimmer of hope for Bangladesh's innings.
Najmul Hossain Shanto and Jaker Ali formed a crucial 45-run partnership for the sixth wicket, providing much-needed stability to Bangladesh's innings. However, their collaboration was cut short when Shanto was dismissed by Will O'Rourke in the 38th over. Shanto emerged as the top scorer for his team, contributing a resilient 77 runs from 110 deliveries, including nine boundaries.
Jaker Ali continued to anchor the innings until the penultimate over, when he was dismissed after scoring a valuable 45 runs off 55 balls, featuring three fours and a six. He also forged a useful 33-run partnership with Rishad Hossain, who contributed 26 runs from 25 balls. Towards the end of the innings, Taskin Ahmed added further valuable runs with a 10-run cameo from 20 deliveries.
Michael Bracewell was the standout performer for New Zealand's bowling attack, claiming four wickets for a mere 26 runs in his 10 overs. Will O'Rourke supported him with two wickets, while Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson each took one wicket.
Meanwhile, having already qualified for the Champions Trophy semifinals, New Zealand will play their last league-stage match against India on March 2. Meanwhile, the ousted Bangladesh will next face already eliminated Pakistan on February 27.
