Sports Desk
25 February
Ludhiana
Sandeep Dhand
New Zealand booked their place in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy after defeating Bangladesh by five wickets in a Group ‘A’ match today. With this defeat, both Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan have been eliminated from the tournament, while India has also advanced to the last four.
New Zealand and India now have four points each, having won both of their matches. However, New Zealand holds the top spot in the group due to a better net run rate (+0.863) compared to India’s (+0.647). Bangladesh and Pakistan, having lost both of their games, remain without any points in the tournament.
Chasing a target of 237 runs, New Zealand comfortably reached 240/5 in 46.1 overs. Rachin Ravindra played a match-winning innings, scoring 112 runs off 105 balls, which included a crucial 129-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Tom Latham (55 runs). Ravindra also built a 57-run stand for the third wicket with Devon Conway (30 runs).
Earlier, Bangladesh managed to score only 236/9 in their 50 overs. Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto was the top scorer, hitting 77 runs off 110 balls, with nine fours. He, along with Tanzid Hasan (24 runs), provided a solid start with a 45-run opening partnership.
For New Zealand, Michael Bracewell was the star bowler, taking 4 wickets for just 26 runs, while William O’Rourke took 2 wickets for 48 runs.
With this win, New Zealand strengthened their chances of finishing at the top of Group A, while Bangladesh and Pakistan’s campaigns ended in disappointment.