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Cantabrian-born and raised Tom Latham would have dreamed of this kind of moment growing up.
Latham delivered the definitive captain’s shot in the first men’s day-night ODI at his Hagley Oval home, leading the Black Caps to a five-wicket victory Tuesday with 10 balls remaining.
The victory also gave New Zealand an unassailable 2-0 lead, securing the ODI series with one game to play, at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on Friday.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Captain Tom Latham led from the front in an undefeated century against Bangladesh.
As captain of the injured Kane Williamson (elbow) in this series, Latham fabricated one of his signature gritty innings, knocking New Zealand out of a precarious position at 53-3 as he headed for the wicket in the eleventh.
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Latham brought his fifth century ODI, his second against Bangladesh at Hagley, with a boundary behind the deep back square leg and the fine leg with a required 19 of 23 balls. He finished 110 out of 108 balls, hitting 10 fours.
The Christchurch lad Latham, son of former New Zealand off-roader Rod Latham, will long remember this hit, guiding his side home with a brave, cunning and patient tackle.
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Captain Tom Latham hit 110 to lead New Zealand to victory in the second ODI in Christchurch.
Latham and his partner, southpaw Devon Conway, combined for a crucial 113-race position after New Zealand had been in trouble early on. Just when it looked like they were taking the game away from Bangladesh, Captain Tamim threw a strong direct blow to leave Conway very short.
Four weeks after a stellar 99 not in the opening T20 against Australia at Hagley, Conway was once again wildly impressive in the boutique venue until he fell into a moment of brilliance.
In his second ODI, South Africa-born Conway’s class was apparent to all, placing the platform alongside Latham. He nudged the ball and took advantage of the poor deliveries. Conway went for 72 of 93 balls with 106 more required.
Bangladesh blew an opportunity shortly after with goalkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim dropping a keeper with Jimmy Neesham in three. Latham, set at 58, was then brought down by Mahedi Hasan from his own bowling alley.
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Devon Conway shone again at Hagley Oval in his second ODI for New Zealand.
He made them pay, taking him home safely. Neesham (30 of 34 balls) also made a significant late contribution.
Bangladesh was making an emotional return to Hagley, where they were supposed to play New Zealand in the final test of their 2019 tour.
However, the match was quickly abandoned after 17 Bangladeshi players and support staff narrowly avoided being at the Al Noor Mosque during the Christchurch shootings the day before kick-off. A late one-on-one soccer match caused the Bangladeshi contingent to arrive later than they should.
Set at 272 to secure ODI’s three-game series, New Zealand struggled to respond. Without victories in New Zealand 27 times in all three ways, Bangladesh would have felt the opportunity to create history and cause an unexpected victory.
Two fast wickets from derailleur Mahedi saw the hosts fall to 53-3 in the eleventh second. Henry Nicholls and Will Young were beaten by the man spin bowling coach and former Black Caps great Daniel Vettori spoke about before the series, putting Bangladesh on top.
Bangladesh had to attack early against a deep New Zealand batting lineup, missing the seasoned injured duo, Captain Williamson and Ross Taylor, and that’s what they did.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
The New Zealand captain brought his fifth ton of ODI into Hagley Oval on Tuesday.
Conway in their second ODI and Latham were tasked with rebuilding the innings and the left-handed duo brought out their partnership of 50 72-ball runs.
In the 25+ stage, New Zealand still had significant work to do at 107-3, requiring 165 more races. With two hitters on and wickets in hand, they had given themselves a great opportunity, needing 6.60 over.
Latham had a life shortly after producing a poor shot, dodging Mahedi, who fell safely from incoming fielders, a turning point in the game. Conway backed away sweeping the roulette wheel for four on the next installment.
New Zealand had to overtake Kyle Jamieson when he was denied a controversial catch and pitch earlier in the day when Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal was 34.
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Kyle Jamieson reacts after his catch and pitch decision was denied by the third referee in Christchurch.
Jamieson seemed to have caught in a brilliant return, diving low in their pursuit to hook the ball. The soft signal on the field was eliminated, but third referee Wayne Knights ruled that Jamieson was not in full control of the ball when it hit the ground. Tamim went on to score 78, the best of the team.
It was a vastly improved hitting performance from Bangladesh after being dropped by just 131 in Saturday’s opening ODI.
After Latham again asked him to hit first, Bangladesh would have been happy to post a competitive 271-6, putting them firmly in the game.
Anchored by 78 by Tamim and a career-best ODI from Mohammad Mithun, who hit an undefeated 73 of 57 balls, the Tigers showed plenty of struggle after retiring with the bat at Dunedin.
Mithun, hitting five, provided the solid base that Iqbal had built with Mushfiqur Rahim (34) and Soumya Sarkar (32) also batting around him.
With ground in hand, Bangladesh was able to score freely in the last 10 overs adding 88 runs after being 183-3 at the 40-over mark.
New Zealand, who were so clinical on the ball in Dunedin, fought for the same consistency and precision, with Bangladesh showing a lot of determination.
Bangladesh was right in the competition when Young went cheap for one. Yet they were his own worst enemy, dropping crucial opportunities with the party firmly in the balance.
TAKE A LOOK:
Bangladesh 271-6 of 50 overs (Tamim Iqbal 78, Mohammad Mithun 73no, Mushfiqur Rahim 34, Soumya Sarkar 32; Mitchell Santner 2-51) lost to New Zealand 275-5 in 48.2 overs (Tom Latham 110th, Devon Conway 72, Jimmy Neesham 30; Mahedi Hasan 2-42, Mustafizur Rahman 2-62) through five windows.
