Opener Martin Guptill hit a fighting century to guide New Zealand to their sixth consecutive victory in the Cricket World Cup with a three-wicket win over an inspired Bangladesh in Hamilton on Friday.
Guptill scored 105 for his sixth one-day hundred to help the co-hosts chase down a daunting 289-run target with seven balls to spare on a batting-friendly pitch at Seddon Park in a match in which the Black Caps were tested for the first time in the tournament.
Guptill’s knock overshadowed Mahmudullah’s second consecutive hundred, his 128 not out propelling Bangladesh to 288-7 in their 50 overs.
New Zealand had already made sure of top spot in Pool A and they will face the fourth-placed finishers from Pool B – where Pakistan, Ireland and West Indies are still alive – in the fourth quarter-final in Wellington on March 21.
Bangladesh, who finished the group stage with seven points from six matches, will face defending champions India in the second quarter-final in Melbourne on March 19.
Bangladesh caught New Zealand napping at 33-2 by taking the key wickets of Brendon McCullum (8) and Kane Williamson (1) by opening with spin from both ends – only the second time in World Cup history when slow bowlers opened the attack.
New Zealand did the same against South Africa in the 2011 quarter-final in Dhaka.
Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took both the early wickets before Guptill and Ross Taylor (56) revived the innings through their 131-run stand for the third wicket.
Guptill took a single off paceman Taskin Ahmed to reach his hundred off 88 balls before holing out to Shakib after suffering leg cramps. He hit 11 boundaries and two sixes during his 100-ball knock.
Taylor, who hit five fours, added another 46 with Grant Elliott (39) before Bangladesh took three wickets in the space of 37 runs to get a sniff of an upset victory.
Corey Anderson, who hit three fours and as many sixes, fell for 39 before Tim Southee hit a six and a four to seal New Zealand’s first win after seven successive defeats against Bangladesh between 2010-2013 – all away from home.
Shakib finished with 4-55.
Earlier, Mahmudullah rescued Bangladesh from a struggling 27-2 after they were put into bat.
Mahmudullah, dropped on one by Anderson off Southee, anchored the innings and added an invaluable 90 for the third wicket with Soumya Sarkar (51) and another 78 for the sixth with Sabbir Rahman who made a fiery 23-ball 40.
Mahmudullah steered paceman Mitchell McClenaghan towards third man for a couple to complete his hundred off 111 balls before blowing a kiss to the applauding Bangladeshi fans.
He became only the second Bangladeshi batsman to score back-to-back hundreds in all one-day internationals after Shahriar Nafees who achieved the feat against Zimbabwe at home in 2006.
In all Mahmudullah hit 12 fours and three sixes as New Zealand’s bowlers were tested for the first time in the tournament with Southee going wicketless.
Rahman raised the tempo by hitting two sixes and five fours to help Bangladesh add 104 runs in the last ten overs.
Left-arm paceman Trent Boult had jolted Bangladesh by dismissing Imrul Kayes (two) and Tamim Iqbal (13) in his first spell to finish with 2-56.
Anderson removed senior Shakib for 23 and Mushfiqur Rahim for 15 to finish with 2-43.
Bangladesh were without their regular skipper Mashrafe Mortaza after he was ruled out due to a soar throat and a calf injury while New Zealand had to leave out unfit Adam Milne and brought in McClenaghan for their first change in the tournament.
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
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Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
