Opener
Will Young
displayed remarkable resilience, scoring a brisk century to lead
New Zealand
's recovery from a challenging start, securing a 44-run victory over
Bangladesh
in the rain-affected first ODI on Sunday.
The match, shortened to 30 overs per side due to three rain delays in
Dunedin
during New Zealand's innings, witnessed a spirited comeback from the home side, posting an imposing total of 239-7.
Facing an adjusted target of 245 in the three-match series opener, Bangladesh struggled to maintain momentum and finished at 200-9. New Zealand, despite losing two wickets in the opening over to seamer Shoriful Islam, regained control.
A remarkable 171-run partnership for the third wicket between Young, who contributed 105 off 84 balls, and captain Tom Latham, who scored 92, tilted the advantage back in favor of the hosts. This pivotal stand unfolded amidst interruptions, with the innings initially reduced to 46 overs, then 40, and finally to 30.
In the last 10.4 overs, Young and Latham showcased aggressive batting, accumulating a remarkable 131 runs. Latham narrowly missed his eighth ODI century, falling to off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, while Young continued to reach a century for the third time in the 50-over format before being run out in the final over.
Reflecting on his performance, Young emphasized his initial priority of stabilizing the innings after its disastrous start.
"Tommy and I set up a nice partnership although it was on and off with the rain," Young said.
"We came back on with 10 overs to go and we thought why not have a crack? And it came off today. It was nice to get a few out of the middle at the end and it's the icing on the cake to finish with a win."
Shoriful emerged as Bangladesh's standout bowler, delivering an impressive performance with figures of 2-28 in six overs.
The chase got off to a promising start, led by opener Anamul Haque, who reached 43, supported by Towhid Hridoy (33) and Liton Das (22), all maintaining a scoring rate of better than a run per ball.
However, the momentum waned when Afif Hossain departed after a forceful 38 in the 24th over, leaving the team requiring 80 more runs.
Expressing his disappointment, visiting captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remarked that the outcome was "very disappointing" despite Islam's early fireworks.
"If we'd taken a third wicket, it could have been a different ball game," said Shanto, before singling out the expensive spin bowling of Mehidy and Afif as a weak point.
"I think our fast bowlers bowled really well but our spinners need to learn quickly before the next match."
Allrounder Josh Clarkson, making his debut alongside seamer William O'Rourke, achieved New Zealand's top bowling figures of 2-24.
The upcoming matches will take place in Nelson and Napier next week as Bangladesh aims for their maiden ODI victory against the Black Caps on New Zealand soil, having faced 17 defeats previously.
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