Bangladesh beat New Zealand by six wickets in the first Twenty20 match of their three-game series overnight. The match was played in Bangladesh, where Tawhid Hridoy led the home team to victory with an unbeaten 51 runs.
New Zealand, also known as the Black Caps, batted first and scored 182 runs for six wickets. Dane Cleaver and new opener Katene Clarke both scored 51, while their 88-run partnership helped New Zealand build a strong total. Later, Nick Kelly and Josh Clarkson added useful runs after a short stop in play because of bad light.
Bangladesh had a difficult start and were 77 for three in the 11th over. However, Hridoy attacked carefully and was supported by Parvez Hossain, who scored 28 from 14 balls, and Shamim Hossain, who finished unbeaten on 31 from 13 balls. Their quick scoring helped Bangladesh reach 183 for four with two overs still left.
Bangladesh captain Liton Das said 183 was a big score on that ground because the pitch was not easy for batting. The second match of the series will be played on Thursday in Chattogram.
