New Zealand series ends on sour note

Bangladesh end the successful series against New Zealand on a sour note as they lost the fifth and final Twenty20 of the series by 27 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday.
Afif Hossain played a lone hand for the Tigers with a valiant unbeaten 49 off 33 balls but could only take them to 134-8 at the end of the 20 overs.
Ajaz Patel and Scott Kuggelejin took 2-21 and 2-23 respectively for the Kiwis.
Earlier, Tom Latham’s unbeaten 50 and Finn Allen’s quickfire 41 powered New Zealand to 161-5, the highest team total in the series.
Bangladesh had already won the series with a win in the fourth match and after Friday’s result the series ended on 3-2.
Bangladesh tested its bench strength by making four changes in the playing XI, sitting out Shakib Al Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman and in place taking Soumya Sarkar, Shamim Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam respectively.
The hosts felt the absence of Shakib and Mustafiz in the powerplay and slog overs, where the Kiwi batters scored quick runs.
Chasing 162, Bangladesh top-order couldn’t give the team the start they were hoping for as they were reduced to 39-3 in 7.2 overs.
After Mushfiqur Rahim’s (three) cheap dismissal the hosts were stuttering at 46-4 inside nine overs and heading towards an embarrassing defeat.
Afif and Mahmudullah then formed a 63-run partnership off 43 balls to revive Bangladesh’s chance in the contest.
But just when Bangladesh were looking with a chance to chase down the total, Mahmudullah, who had earlier been dropped on 13, gave a catch at deep cover to depart for 23.
Bangladesh needed another 53 runs off the last four overs but Afif found no support from the other end and the Tigers fell well short of their target.
Batting first, New Zealand openers Allen and Rachin Ravindra (17) formed a 58-run opening stand off just 34 balls with the former being the aggressor of the two.
Shoriful, one of the four players playing their first match in the series, brought Bangladesh back into the contest by dismissing both opener in space of three deliveries.
Will Young (six) and Colin de Grandhomme (nine) didn’t stay too long as the Bangladeshi spinners slowed down the scoring rate in the middle overs.
Latham and Henry Nicholls formed a run-a-ball 35-run stand for the fifth wicket before the latter departed for 20 off Taskin Ahmed.
The Tigers missed Mustafizur Rahman in the death overs as they conceded 36 runs in the last 18 deliveries where Latham and Cole McConchie (17 not out) cut loose.
Bangladesh had earlier won the first, second and fourth match to seal their first series win over New Zealand in the format.