New Zealand defeated Bangladesh in the 6th match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy at Rawalpindi cricket stadium. It was yet another clinical outing for them as they chased down 237 runs with 23 balls and five wickets in hand on the back of a brilliant century from Rachin Ravindra. Michael Bracewell, however, won the player of the match award for picking up four wickets with the ball conceding only 26 runs after the Kiwis lost the toss.
With this win, New Zealand have sealed their place in the semifinal alongside India, as Pakistan and Bangladesh have now been knocked out. The BlackCaps, meanwhile, have ended a 16-year drought finally by making it to the knockouts of the showpiece event. They last qualified for the last four round of the Champions Trophy in 2009 and exited in the group stage in the 2013 and 2017 editions.
New Zealand prepared for the event by playing the tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa just before the tournament got underway and they were the only team to play a host of bilateral series in Pakistan before. This has helped them understand conditions better than any other team including the hosts.
They defeated Pakistan in the opening game after losing three wickets for 70-odd runs in Karachi in the opening game. Tom Latham and Will Young stepped up for them smashing centuries and helped the team post a mammoth total of 320 runs. With the ball, the Kiwis never gave a chance to Pakistan who got bogged down under pressure.
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Against Bangladesh, New Zealand lost the toss yet again and couldn’t break through early allowing a 45-run opening stand. Michael Bracewell was the star this time for them nipping out four batters in no time for just 26 runs in his 10-over spell. Chasing 237, the Mitchell Santner-led side was reduced to 15/2 early but then Ravindra stepped up to notch up his first ton in the Champions Trophy.
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