New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets (DLS method) in the third T20I of the series at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Batting first, the visitors failed to put up a show as they were bundled out for just 110 runs. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 17-run was the highest run by an individual for Bangladesh, which depicts their story with the bat. 

Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santer was phenomenal with the ball. The spinner picked up four wickets while Ben Sears, Adam Milne and Tim Southee picked up two each. They were incredible with the line and length as Bangladesh looked uncomfortable with the bat and because of the same, they couldn’t challenge New Zealand as they did in the first T20I.

When it came to the chase, Finn Allen hit 38 runs off 31 deliveries and that set the tone for the Kiwis. However, he lost his partners on the other hand, which complicated their chance to make a comeback in the series. Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman registered just one run each as Mehidy Hasan seemed to be on song.

Nevertheless, Allen kept the hosts in the hunt, while James Neesham and Santner later played impactful knocks to get the job done. Neesham managed to score 28* runs off 20 runs while Santner made 18* runs off 20 balls and New Zealand chased the total down in 14.4 overs.

Santner was eventually announced as the Player of the Match for his incredible contributions with both bat and ball. Shoriful Islam, on the other hand, was adjudged as the Player of the Tournament for being extremely consistent in the three-match series. Meanwhile, after the conclusion of the series, Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha backed Shanto to become the full-time captain of the side.