New Zealand Knock Out Bangladesh to Reach Semis; India Qualify Too

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra made his Champions Trophy debut a memorable one with a ton that sealed his team's qualification to the semifinals. Alongside New Zealand, India also qualified from Group A, while defending champions Pakistan and Bangladesh were knocked out.

Ravindra's 105-ball 112 was the highlight of New Zealand's chase of Bangladesh's 236, which they completed with five wickets and 23 balls to spare. Bangladesh had started well, with Taskin Ahmed getting Will Young bowled and Nahid Rana having Kane Williamson nicking behind. However, Ravindra's 112, which included 12 boundaries, helped New Zealand recover from 15/2.

Ravindra put on a 57-run stand with Devon Conway before Mustafizur got the better of the opener. But he continued to play aggressively, flicking the second delivery he faced off Rana for a boundary. He then punished Taskin through covers for two boundaries in an over, helping to reverse the pressure on Bangladesh.

Conway joined him with three boundaries off Rana in the following over, putting the chase back on track. Ravindra brought up his fifty with an imperious straight drive, and then went on to tee off, hitting 12 boundaries in his innings.

Tom Latham played a crucial hand, hitting 55 off 72 balls, and the pair put on a 129-run stand. Latham's patient approach complemented Ravindra's belligerence perfectly, and the pair ensured that there were no further hiccups even after both fell after New Zealand crossed 200.

Bangladesh's innings was a rollercoaster, with the openers adding 45 runs before being broken by Michael Bracewell. The middle overs proved to be the scourge of Bangladesh, with only skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto managing to score runs. Shanto's 77 stood out, but Bangladesh's experienced campaigners fell trying to get the run-rate up.

Bracewell finished with figures of 4-26, and Bangladesh lost half their side for just 118. Shanto fell against the short ball of Will O'Rourke, and the lower-order fightback was led by Jaker Ali, who scored 45. Bangladesh managed to score at more than 6-an-over in the last 10 overs, but ultimately fell short.

Brief Scores

Bangladesh 236/9 in 50 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 77, Jaker Ali 45; Michael Bracwell 4-26)

New Zealand 240/5 in 46.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 112, Tom Latham 55)