A second T20I between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Napier Park in Napier was the talk of the town for the bizarre incident on Tuesday. New Zealand, hitting first, posted 173 runs on the board in17.5 overs in a rain-affected match between the two sides. However, in what could be called a bizarre incident, Bangladesh began their pursuit without knowing the official target.
The cricket world was baffled when Bangladeshis Liton Das and Mohammad Naim started the second half without an official target announced by the match referee. It was only during the second chase over Bangladesh when the guest locker room saw some movement.
Prior to the start of the second round, Bangladesh was of the view that it was pursuing 148 rounds of 16 overs after the target was revised according to the DLS method. However, Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo was seen rushing into the match referee room to check what the confusion was all about.
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After 1.3 overs, the match witnessed a delay after confusion was conveyed to the referees on the pitch. The players were seen drinking during the break while officials including match referee Jeff Crowe in the box were involved in discussions.
Bangladesh later submitted a revised target of 170 but many on social media said that: according to the DLS version 4.0, the revised target should be 171.
New Zealand versatile James Neesham was also taken aback by the incident: How is it possible to start a running chase without knowing what you are after? Crazy stuff. #NZvBAN
Drama continues as Bangladeshi batsmen continue their pursuit.
However, during the 14th Chase, the target was once again revised back to 171, bringing even more confusion to the scene.
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New Zealand won the match with the 28 runs (DLS) method after Bangladesh could only play 142/7 in 16 over.
“There’s some confusion, and DLS keeps changing, but it can happen in the game. Our first ten overs were on the right track but we didn’t finish well enough. I think Naim and Soumya are giving us momentum, but Phillips and Sodhi are really good and we can’t take advantage of their strengths, and if we take those chances we can keep winning. Taskin did a brilliant catch, and it gave us a lot of confidence, but it’s important to finish well in the T20 format. Our top sequence is good, and hopefully we take him to the next game, “Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah said after the game ended.
Referee: Chris Brown (NZL), Chris Gaffaney (NZL)
TV Referee: Wayne Knights (NZL)
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
