New Zealand 240 for 5 (Ravindra 112, Latham 55) beat Bangladesh 236 for 9 (Shanto 77, Jaker 45, Bracewell 4-26, O'Rourke 2-48) by five wickets
So many teams are in transition right now, but all through this Champions Trophy, New Zealand have been showing that their new generation is ready for the big time. It was not so long ago that Kane Williamson was carrying this batting line-up. Seems Rachin Ravindra wants that responsibility now.
He didn't mind slotting into an unfamiliar position. He didn't flinch having to come out at 15 for 2. He didn't stop smiling when he brought up his hundred, an innings that confirmed not just his team's spot in the semi-finals but also India's. Pakistan and Bangladesh are now officially knocked out.
This was a game that Najmul Hossain Shanto's team had to win to stay alive. But they batted like that was just too much trouble. Bangladesh started at nearly a run a ball. But ten of the next 15 overs went for three runs or fewer. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah fell from the pressure created in this period. A combined 511 matches' worth of experience was only good for 6 runs in a do-or-die game. Their wickets left Shanto with no way forward. He kept having to readjust to a new partner, to a new match situation, and in the end, produced a staccato innings of 77 off 110. He could have done better. The others should have done better.
Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana raised Bangladesh's hopes with a fiery opening spell, rattling Will Young's stumps in the first over and snaring Williamson for a rare single-digit score. The infield was richly populated at that point. The whole atmosphere was buzzing, the crowd also getting in the act. Into this walked Ravindra. One of the best things about his batting is his touch. It's so pure. Down at No. 4 - he was brought into the XI to replace an ill Daryl Mitchell - there was possibly a risk that he wouldn't be able to take full toll. But as luck would have it, he began his innings within the field restrictions and that meant he could profit from his timing. His first five fours were all about finding the gaps because his timing always took care of the rest.
Ravindra had to wait 11 overs since the field spread to find his next boundary but that didn't mean he was stagnant. His first 23 runs came off 21 balls with five fours. His next 28 runs came off 29 balls with one four. There was one chance in between all that. A mix-up with his Wellington team-mate Devon Conway could have resulted in him being run-out had Tanzid Hasan been able to get a direct hit in the 12th over.
Bangladesh weren't able to take their chances. New Zealand did. Williamson did have a hand in proceedings here, picking up smart catches at short midwicket and cover. Michael Bracewell, after wrapping up an uninterrupted ten-over spell, ran 30 yards to his right to pick up a diving catch that probably wasn't even his. But he decided to take charge and it worked.
Bangladesh also weren't able to rotate strike. New Zealand could. Those were the biggest points of difference between the two teams. The pitch did become much better for batting under lights, though, a fact Mitchell Santner was looking forward to when he won the toss and decided to chase and of all people, Bracewell was his ace in the hole with the ball. The 34-year-old offspin-bowling allrounder himself couldn't believe he had taken 4 for 26. In the mid-match interview, he said, "Funny one, once you let go [of the ball] you don't have much control what happens at the other end."
Bracewell contributed 43 of 178 dot balls that plagued Bangladesh. You have to go back to 2012 to find an innings they had paced quite so poorly. Rotating strike was a struggle and the avenues they chose to get out of that weren't ideal. Perhaps the pitch was too slow in the afternoon to be able to work the ball into gaps. Mushfiqur made a play against Bracewell but he couldn't clear the long boundary with his slog sweep. Bangladesh were 106 for 4 in the 23rd over. At a time when consolidation was actually needed, Mahmudullah made an ill-advised trip down the track and skewed a leading edge to cover.
Bracewell contributed to his success by slowing his pace down. Bangladesh contributed considerably more. They exit the tournament having faced more than 50 overs of dot balls. Their decision-making left them so short on batting resources that they had Taskin on strike for the 45th over and it ended up as a maiden. The death overs were a total flex for the Black Caps. At one point, they were more than happy with just three fielders on the boundary, instead of the five allowed.
Bangladesh were reminded what could have been towards the end of the chase when there was sharp turn, leading edges, low bounce and even a direct-hit run-out. The wicket merely added to their regret at the one that got away - Ravindra was 26 when Tanzid missed - and the runs that got away - 260 would have made this game so much more competitive.
As it happened, New Zealand went into the chase knowing all they needed were a couple of partnerships and they got those. Ravindra put on 57 runs with Conway and then 129 with Tom Latham, who is so good as a crisis manager. You can almost imagine him side-kicking whoever leads the earth's remaining population during the zombie apocalypse. First things first, though, there's an ICC trophy up for grabs.
