Foxcroft surprised by Bangladesh’s middle-overs slowdown

New Zealand’s Dean Foxcroft admitted he was somewhat surprised by Bangladesh’s approach in the middle overs after a 26-run win in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.

Chasing 247, Bangladesh appeared to be cruising at one stage. A 93-run stand for the third wicket between Saif Hassan and Litton Das took them to 115 for three after 23 overs. However, the momentum stalled dramatically soon after, with the hosts going 91 deliveries -- from the 24th to the 39th over -- without hitting a single boundary.

Despite having wickets in hand, Bangladesh failed to capitalise, as New Zealand struck at regular intervals to regain control and eventually bundle out the home side for 221 in 48.3 overs.

Foxcroft, who played a key role with a 58-ball 59 to guide New Zealand to a competitive total, reflected on Bangladesh’s conservative phase.

“Bangladesh, yeah. I think the wicket obviously got a bit slower and helped the spinners and our seamers quite a bit. So, I thought they had a lot of wickets in the back end. And again, as I say, funny game. Cricket is a funny game and you can get quick wickets in the back end and it makes the game a lot different,” Foxcroft said at the post-match press conference.

The tricky surface offered a stiff challenge, with some deliveries skidding through while others held up, allowing spinners to extract turn.

Towhid Hridoy anchored the chase but was eventually left stranded with the tail as mounting pressure derailed Bangladesh’s pursuit.

“[Bangladesh] probably just one innings away from chasing that score and then for us we obviously took wickets in crucial times of the game and obviously went our way. So I thought they were in the game until the last over basically, until that last wicket. So they had a batsman set on 50-plus so you never know what’s going to happen,” Foxcroft added.

Afif Hossain’s knock came under scrutiny as he struggled for fluency, managing 27 off 49 balls without a boundary. Saif, who top-scored with 57, suggested that caution in the middle overs may have stemmed from concerns over the lower order.

“When Afif and Hridoy were batting, if I am thinking of the next batters coming in… maybe they had that thought too and took their time. They are proper recognised batters so I feel they played well until Afif got out. So if he could carry on for a bit more, I think things would have been alright,” Saif said.