1st ODI: Hassan, Hridoy shine in losing cause against NZ
What's the story
In a nail-biting thriller, Bangladesh lost while chasing 248 against New Zealand in the 1st ODI at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka. After a turbulent start, Bangladesh were set at 132/3. Despite half-centuries from Saif Hassan and Towid Hridoy, they fell short by 26 runs. Hridoy was left stranded when 33 runs were required off the last two overs. Here are the key stats.
Chase
Bangladesh falter early in chase
Nathan Smith's opening spell broke Bangladesh's top order. He dismissed Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Najmul Hossain Shanto on successive balls. However, Saif Hassan played his shots and added a 93-run stand with Litton Das. He departed for a 76-ball 57 (8 fours and 1 six), leaving Bangladesh at 114/3. Dean Foxcroft then dismissed a well-set Das to unsettle the hosts.
Collapse
Hridoy shines amid collapse
A middle-order collapse meant Bangladesh slumped from 132/3 to 184/5. However, Towhid Hridoy held one end and took the game deep, with the required run-rate constantly rising. Blair Tickner eventually cleaned up Bangladesh's tail, and Smith removed Towhid Hridoy to wrap the innings in the penultimate over. Hridoy's single-handed effort recorded 55 runs off 60 balls (2 fours and 2 sixes).
Numbers
A look at notable numbers
Hassan, who made his ODI debut last year, has raced to 289 runs from 10 innings at an average of 28.9. This was his second half-century in the format. On the other hand, Hridoy scored his 12th half-century in ODIs. He also owns a ton. In 48 matches, the Bangladesh batter has slammed 1,396 runs at an average of 35.79.