Taylor seals series clinching win for Kiwis

With their five-wicket victory in the second ODI at the University Oval, New Zealand have wrapped up the three-match series against Bangladesh.

After skipper Daniel Vettori put the visitors in to bat, Ian Butler (3 for 43) and Andy McKay (2 for 17) restricted them to a modest 183 for eight off their 50 overs. While an expensive Daryl Tuffey contributed with one scalp, Martin Guptill played his part with two run-outs.

Rookie pacer McKay spit venom during his first spell, conceding four runs in seven overs for two wickets. This triggered a stupendous top-order collapse which reduced Bangladesh to 25 for five.

The visitors fought back with Mushfiqur Rahim’s dogged 83 runs which came off 107 deliveries. The wicketkeeper batsman put up a 101-run partnership with Naeem Islam (43) to take Bangladesh to a relatively decent score.

Bangladesh’s hopes of crossing the 200-run mark were thrashed by Butler, who removed both set batsmen in quick succession to finish with three wickets.

New Zealand began their chase in a shaky manner, losing opener Brendon McCullum early. There were a few more jitters on the way but Ross Taylor, with his whirlwind 52-ball 78 saw them home quite comfortably. 

The attacking middle-order batsman plundered the Bangladeshi bowlers for six fours and dispatched five balls over the fence to bring up maximum runs. With his man of the match winning performance, Taylor not only won the game but also sealed the series for the hosts.