Suzie Bates and Maddy Green keep New Zealand alive
New Zealand 189 for 3 (Bates 81*, Green 44*, Bezuidenhout 44, Fahima 2-36) beat Bangladesh 118 for 8 (Shorna 31, Murshida 30, Carson 3-18, Rowe 2-15) by 71 runs
After two ducks in the previous two matches, Suzie Bates turned her form around to help New Zealand post the fourth-highest total in Women's T20 World Cups, and keep their hopes of making the semi-final alive.
Bates scored an unbeaten 81 off 61 balls to help New Zealand to 189 for 3 before a strong bowling performance restricted Bangladesh to 118 for 8. In the process, she also became the first player to reach 1000 runs in T20 World Cups.
Bates aside, Maddy Green's 44 not out off 20 balls also propelled New Zealand, who scored 60 in their last five overs.
Bezuidenhout and Bates give New Zealand brisk start
New Zealand were bowled out for 76 and 67 against Australia and South Africa respectively, and Bates had registered first-ball and second-ball blobs in those contests. On Friday, she began watchfully against Bangladesh, with fellow opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout hogging most of the strike in the first three overs.
Bezuidenhout, who herself was out on zero in the previous game, hit the first ball of the innings for four before picking up another boundary in the third over. It took a pristinely timed whip through midwicket for Bates to open her boundary count. But it was Bezuidenhout who did the bulk of the scoring as New Zealand finished the powerplay 49 for no loss. More importantly, the pair faced only eight dots in the phase.
Bezuidenhout looked primed to score her maiden T20I half-century before she charged down and was stumped off Shorna Akter, bringing an end to the 77-run stand in which she had contributed 44 off 26 balls.
Bates and Green lead final assault
Bates and Amelia Kerr took New Zealand past 100 before legspinner Fahima Khatun dealt a double blow. First, she had Kerr offering a return catch off a full toss and then, on the next delivery, bowled Sophie Devine with a slider.
But a steady Bates was then joined by a belligerent Green, who found the middle of the bat from the get-go. She used her feet to hit Fahima back over her head before using the depth of the crease and the bowler's pace to thump seamer Marufa Akter for three fours in an over. She also showed her wares against spin, first reverse-sweeping Salma through short third and then hitting left-arm spinner Nahida Akter down the ground.
Bates, meanwhile, passed her seventh fifty-plus score in T20 World Cups and pounced on anything remotely short. She pulled Fahima through midwicket before repeating the drill against Nahida. She also used the reverse sweep to good effect. She was dropped at deep midwicket in the 18th over by Marufa, who parried it for six that brought up Bates' 1000th run.
Bates and Green added 82 in seven overs in an unbroken stand for the fourth wicket, leaving Bangladesh with a mountain to chase.
Shorna sparkles but New Zealand clinical
Shamima Sultana hit Lea Tahuhu for a four and a six in the opening over of the chase to get Bangladesh off to a positive start. But Hannah Rowe trapped her lbw for 14 and then yorked No. 3 Sobhana Mostary for 4, while conceding only three runs from her first two overs.
Kerr bowled Nigar Sultana with a googly in the tenth over, but Murshida Khatun and Shorna, who was part of the Under-19 T20 World Cup as well, added 46 for the fourth wicket.
Shorna hit Kerr for a couple of fours through the leg side before smashing Rowe for successive fours in the 13th over. Murshida too picked up a couple of boundaries before offspinner Eden Carson had her slicing one to backward point.
Once that stand was broken, Bangladesh could manage only 18 in the remaining 32 balls.