Bangladesh 183 for 4 (Hridoy 51*, Shamim 31*, Sodhi 2-40) beat New Zealand 182 for 6 (Cleaver 51, Clarke 51, Rishad 2-32) by six wickets

Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Parvez Hossain played quickfire knocks to take Bangladesh to a record 183-run chase against New Zealand in the first T20I in Chattogram. It is their highest successful chase at home, winning with 12 balls to spare. Hridoy made his sixth half-century in T20Is, an unbeaten 51 off 27 balls that had a tinge of statement to it after he was criticized for his batting in the third ODI last week.

New Zealand's 182 for 6 was a decent score in Chattogram, but a middle-order slowdown kept them below 200 runs, sometimes a must at this venue. Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver struck fifties before stand-in captain Nick Kelly made a quick 39.

Bangladesh's chase stalled around the 11th over when Tanzid Hasan got out, before Hridoy boosted the hosts. He added 57 runs for the fourth wicket stand with Parvez before Shamim's 31 not out off 13 balls hastened the victory path.

Bangladesh sluggish in the powerplay

Tanzid got off to a fortunate start when Ish Sodhi dropped a difficult chance at third-man, off Nathan Smith in the first over. Smith's luck returned in the sixth over when he removed Saif Hassan for 17 off 16 balls. He struck two fours and a six, while Tanzid remained sluggish at the other end, too. Captain Litton Das pushed the scoring but Bangladesh's scoring rate hovered around seven-an-over even in the ninth over. That's when Sodhi removed Litton for 21, and Tanzid for 20, in consecutive overs.

Parvez, Hridoy provide spark

One ball after Tanzid's dismissal, Bangladesh suddenly rose into action. Hridoy smacked Sodhi for a six, before Parvez went down the ground for four and slogged the legspinner over midwicket. Sodhi went for 18 in the over that produced a wicket. Josh Clarkson then got leathered for two sixes in his next two overs as Bangladesh clawed their way back into the contest. Parvez however fell after making a 14-ball 28 in the 15th over, when Bangladesh needed 49 runs in the last 5.1 overs.

Shamim started off with a no-look six off Smith before Hridoy launched the same bowler with a cracking whip over midwicket. Matthew Fisher then had a nightmare over that put Bangladesh close to the finishing line. He conceded 25 runs in the 17th over that had two no-balls and a wide. Shamim and Hridoy struck three fours and a six in the over too, as Bangladesh raced towards the 183-run chase.

Clarke, Cleaver tear into Bangladesh

New Zealand were up and running from the first ball, when Clarke crashed Shoriful Islam through backward point for a boundary. Tim Robinson's run out didn't derail the visitors as Cleaver crashed Tanzim Hasan past extra cover, before clattering two more fours in the next two overs, with a square-cut and straight drive.

Cleaver brought out the scoops against Tanzim and Shorfiul, getting a six and a four using the bat as a ramp. New Zealand didn't stop at reaching 61 for one in the powerplay. Clarke slammed Mahedi with a reverse swept four and a slog swept six in the seventh over, before Saif dropped him in the tenth over. Clarke was batting on 44 at the time. Cleaver rubbed salt into Rishad's wound when he employed another reverse sweep and a inside-out shot to get two boundaries in the same over.

Rishad gets in on the act

Rishad however got the last laugh when he trapped Cleaver lbw, after he reached his half-century. Cleaver interestingly didn't take a review, as replays showed that it could have worked in his favour had he taken it. The dismissal ended an 88-run second wicket stand. Clarke reached his fifty in the following over, before he also perished to Rishad in the 12th over.

Rishad was involved in the fourth wicket too, when he took Bevon Jacobs' catch in the 13th over. Dean Foxcroft, who made two fifties in the ODI series, also fell cheaply when Mahedi bowled him for three.

Kelly celebrates surprise captaincy

Kelly came into the game on the back of successive fifties in the ODI series, but the decision to make him captain with Tom Latham injured self-admittedly took him by surprise. He celebrated the ascent with a quickfire 39 in the last five overs. He hammered Rishad for two fours in the 16th over, before launching into Ripon for a four and a six in the next over.

He struck another boundary, with a well-timed scoop, in the 18th over before Shoriful had him caught at short fine-leg. Kelly struck five fours and a six in his 39 off 27 balls.