New Zealand 164 for 3 (Devine 45, Bates 41, Akter 1-25) beat Bangladesh 32 (Moni 6, Tahuhu 4-6, Jensen 3-8) by 132 runs
Lea Tahuhu and Hayley Jensen wreaked havoc as Bangladesh collapsed to 32 all out - their second-lowest score in women's T20Is - to go down by 132 runs in the first T20I in Christchurch, and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Tahuhu finished with figures of 4 for 6 - second-best bowling figures among New Zealand Women - while Jansen picked 3 for 8 to help the hosts secure their biggest win in women's T20Is.
Batting first, Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Maddy Green made useful contributions to take New Zealand to 164. In defence, their bowlers did not give Bangladesh a sniff, with Tahuhu and Jensen reducing them to 12 for 5 inside the powerplay, and eventually skittling them out without any batter getting into double figures.
Earlier, Bates and Devine added 84 runs for the opening wicket in less than 11 overs to get New Zealand off to a sprightly start. Devine was the aggressor out of the two, striking six fours during her knock of 45 from 34 balls, while Bates scored 41 off 33.
But Bangladesh fought back, getting rid of both set batters in the space of eight balls. Nahida Akter struck first, sending Bates back, before Jahanara Alam had Devine caught behind soon after.
Amelia Kerr and Green then got along, adding 42 runs for the third wicket. Kerr fell off the final ball of the 17th over to Ritu Moni before Green took over. New Zealand racked up 30 runs in the last 3.1 overs, with Green doing the bulk of the scoring. She smashed 36 off 23 balls, taking New Zealand to a competitive score.
As it turned out, the target was more than enough, with Bangladesh never really getting their chase going. Jensen struck first to remove Murshida Khatun for 3. Tahuhu then picked up two wickets in her first over, and also removed Rumana Ahmed in her second.
There was a 15-run stand for the sixth wicket - the highest of the innings - before a dramatic collapse ensued as Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for just as many runs. Moni's 6 was the highest contribution in the entire line-up.
The series now moves on to Dunedin, where the second T20I will be played on Sunday, with Bangladesh facing a must-win match.
