Rachin Ravindra’s Century Guides New Zealand to Semis, Bangladesh and Pakistan Eliminated
New Zealand secured their spot in the semi-finals with a convincing five-wicket victory, thanks to a brilliant century from Rachin Ravindra. India also joined them in the last four, while both Bangladesh and host nation Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament.
Bangladesh had high hopes of making a deep run, but they failed to take flight. Before departing for the tournament, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto confidently stated that their goal was to be champions. However, their performance on the field showed no signs of that ambition. Bangladesh’s exit from the Champions Trophy was confirmed in just six days and two matches.
With survival on the line, Bangladesh needed a win, but once again, their batting let them down. New Zealand, in excellent form, cruised to victory, sealing their semi-final spot with ease.
New Zealand’s win also confirmed India’s place in the semis. Meanwhile, Pakistan was knocked out following Bangladesh’s defeat. Their upcoming match on Thursday is now just a formality.
A Familiar Batting Collapse
At Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, New Zealand’s bowlers set up their victory with a dominant performance. On the flip side, Bangladesh dug their own grave with another disappointing batting display. Michael Bracewell, with career-best figures of 4/26, played a crucial role. However, he might owe some gratitude to Bangladesh’s experienced batters—Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah—who threw away their wickets with poor shot selection.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto played a fighting knock of 77 off 110 balls, while later in the innings, Jaker Ali tried to salvage something for Bangladesh, taking the total to 236.
Early on, Bangladesh showed promise with the ball, hinting at a possible fightback. But all hopes were crushed by Rachin Ravindra’s masterclass century.
As usual, Ravindra had some luck, courtesy of Bangladesh’s sloppy fielding. At 25, he was given a lifeline when Tanzid Hasan missed a direct-hit run-out opportunity. Had he been dismissed then, the game could have taken a different turn.
Later, on 93, Ravindra got another chance when Mehidy Hasan Miraz dropped a simple catch off Nahid Rana’s bowling. If that wasn’t enough, Mahmudullah gifted him another life at 105, missing what should have been the easiest of catches off Mustafizur Rahman.
Ravindra eventually departed for 112, but by then, New Zealand was already on the brink of victory. Tom Latham, who scored a fifty, was later run out, but the Kiwis faced no further trouble in sealing the win.
Bangladesh’s Questionable Team Selection
Winning the toss, Bangladesh opted to bat and started well. However, questions remain over their team selection. With Mahmudullah fully fit, his inclusion was expected. But surprisingly, Soumya Sarkar was dropped to make way for him—despite being Bangladesh’s most consistent ODI batter since the 2023 World Cup. Instead, Mushfiqur Rahim, who had managed just one fifty in his last 13 ODIs and was dismissed for a duck in the previous match, retained his place.
Tanzid Hasan and captain Shanto opened the innings. In the second over, Tanzid showcased his intent with a four and a six off Kyle Jamieson, who was making his ODI comeback after 18 months. Shanto, on the other hand, was initially cautious but gradually settled in.
Tanzid continued his aggression, pulling Matt Henry for another six, while Shanto struck three boundaries in a single over off Jamieson. Unlike their last match, where they lost five wickets for 36 runs, Bangladesh reached 45/0 in eight overs without any damage.
New Zealand’s pacers struggled, prompting captain Tom Latham to turn to Bracewell’s off-spin. The move worked immediately—Tanzid (24) fell to a soft dismissal, handing a catch to short mid-wicket.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, promoted to number three, began with a six but couldn’t capitalize, falling for 13 to Will O’Rourke.
At this point, Bangladesh was still scoring at over five runs per over. However, the innings lost momentum soon after.
Towhid Hridoy, who scored a brave century in the previous game, seemed completely out of sorts. He struggled to rotate the strike and, after scoring just 7 off 24 balls, perished while trying to break free against Bracewell.
But the worst dismissals were yet to come. In a bizarre turn of events, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah gifted their wickets at a crucial stage.
When Bangladesh needed stability, Mushfiqur, having scored just 2, played a reckless slog-sweep and was caught at mid-wicket. If that wasn’t enough, Mahmudullah followed suit with another rash shot, worsening the crisis.
From a comfortable 97/2, Bangladesh suddenly crumbled to 118/5.
Meanwhile, Shanto reached his fifty off 71 balls. Just when he needed to accelerate, he was forced to focus on rebuilding with Jaker Ali. The duo tried to steady the ship, but boundaries dried up for over seven consecutive overs.
At one point, Nasser Hussain remarked in commentary, “Shanto has to take this innings deep and score a century.” However, the Bangladesh captain couldn’t oblige. Just as he had played his best shot of the innings—the pull—he mistimed it and got out in the 38th over.
At 200/7, Jaker (45 off 55) and Taskin Ahmed (10) put up a brief fight, ensuring Bangladesh at least crossed 230. However, a mix-up resulted in Jaker’s run-out, cutting short the late resistance.
New Zealand’s Comfortable Chase
Bangladesh had some hope going into the second innings. In their previous match at Rawalpindi, New Zealand had failed to defend 336 against Pakistan. The pitch, while not a batting paradise, wasn’t entirely bowler-friendly either.
Taskin Ahmed set the tone with a superb opening spell. He bowled two maiden overs in his first three and cleaned up Will Young for a duck with a beauty.
Nahid Rana, clocking nearly 148 km/h, got rid of New Zealand’s star batter, Kane Williamson, for just 5, caught behind.
At 21/2 within four overs, Bangladesh had the upper hand. However, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra counterattacked, keeping the scoreboard moving.
A golden opportunity arrived in the 12th over when Tanzid missed a straightforward run-out chance to dismiss Ravindra. Had he hit the stumps, New Zealand would have been in deep trouble.
That miss proved costly. Ravindra settled in and shifted gears. He reached 1,000 ODI runs in just 26 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 110.
Conway (30) was eventually bowled by Mustafizur, but by then, the momentum had shifted. Ravindra and Latham added 129 runs in 136 balls, all but sealing the game.
With minimal risks and calculated aggression, the duo ensured Bangladesh never got back into the contest. Even after Ravindra departed for 112 and Latham was run out for 55, the damage had been done.
Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell finished the job comfortably, with Bracewell hitting the winning runs. New Zealand sealed the win with 23 balls to spare.
Match Summary:
- Bangladesh – 236/9 in 50 overs (Shanto 77, Jaker 45, Bracewell 4/26)
- New Zealand – 240/5 in 46.1 overs (Ravindra 112, Latham 55, Taskin 1/28)
Result: New Zealand won by 5 wickets
Player of the Match: Michael Bracewell
