Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Feb 24 (IANS) New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner hailed Rachin Ravindra for his brilliant match-winning innings of unbeaten 112 against Bangladesh. The skipper claimed he saw no signs of rust in his star batter after he returned to the squad following a head injury suffered in the Tri-Nation ODI Series match against Pakistan.
At the age of just 25, Ravindra has now scored more centuries at ICC ODI events (4) than any other New Zealand male player. Santner states that perhaps Rachin Ravindra was not as fluid as usual but the left-handed batter ‘loves ICC events’.
“He’s doing Rachin things I guess. He loves ICC events. It seemed like he never left the game. He wasn’t as fluid as he’d have liked but when he gets going he’s tough to stop. His partnerships were good too,” said Santner in the post-match presentation.
With New Zealand reeling early in their chase after early dismissals of Kane Williamson, Will Young, and Devon Conway departing with the game still in middle ground, Rachin formed a match-defining 129-run partnership with Latham.
The duo took control of the chase, with Rachin playing an elegant innings filled with well-timed boundaries and a six. His 112 came off 95 balls, with 12 fours and a six, showcasing his composure and technique against Bangladesh’s bowling attack.
The skipper also took the time to acknowledge Michael Bracewell, who was named player of the match, for his four-wicket haul as he knocked over the Bangladesh top-order to help restrict them to 236/9 in the first innings.
The off-spinner’s remarkable spell of 4-26, including 43 dot balls, were the best-ever figures recorded by a New Zealand spinner in the tournament’s history.
“It feels nice to qualify. We knew Bangladesh would be a challenge. The way we pulled things back with the ball was amazing. Hard to take middle-overs wickets in ODIs and Bracewell was amazing. He’s a quality bowler now, the way he can change his pace on these wickets is outstanding. Bowls a lot to right-handers too.
With this win, New Zealand and India have both qualified for the semifinals from Group A and will battle it out for the top position on March 2. Host nation Pakistan and Bangladesh have been eliminated from the tournament.
–IANS
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