NZ beat Bangladesh to reach Champions Trophy semis

ICC Champions Trophy Group A, Rawalpindi

Bangladesh 236-9 (50 overs): Shanto 77 (110); Bracewell 4-26

New Zealand 240-5 (46.1 overs): Ravindra 112 (105), Latham 55 (76)

New Zealand won by five wickets

Scorecard

Rachin Ravindra's sublime century helped New Zealand book their place in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy with a comfortable five-wicket win over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

Ravindra, who missed the Black Caps' opening win against Pakistan with concussion, struck 112 from 105 balls to steer his side to their modest target of 237 with 3.5 overs to spare.

The chase started nervously as opener Will Young was bowled by Taskin Ahmed in the first over, and Kane Williamson fell for five during a lively opening spell from Bangladesh's seamers, but Ravindra and Devon Conway (30) withstood the pressure with a calm third-wicket stand of 57.

Ravindra fell with just 36 more runs required after a partnership of 129 with wicketkeeper Tom Latham, who made a crucial 55, which set up the victory to eliminate both their opponents and hosts Pakistan and to also ensure India's qualification from Group A.

Bangladesh were left to rue a wasteful batting innings which saw eight of the nine wickets to fall caught in the outfield from loose and unconvincing shot selection, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto's 77 and Jaker Ali's 45 the only notable contributions.

They reached a steady 58-1 from the opening 10 overs, but then failed to recover from a slip from 97-2 to 118-5 as spinner Michael Bracewell tore through the middle order with career-best ODI figures of 4-26.

Neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh have particularly challenged this well-rounded New Zealand side but it was another comprehensive victory that sees them take momentum and confidence into the semi-finals.

After a decent start, Bangladesh's innings fell apart with a whimper as their batters could not adapt against the nagging accuracy of New Zealand's bowling attack, particularly Bracewell's off-spin.

The 34-year-old made the opening breakthrough with Tanzid Hasan caught by Williamson for 24, and from there bowled 10 overs consecutively while rarely having to change his approach as Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah were all out slogging after failing to rotate the strike consistently.

Shanto and Ali played sensibly to save their side from a complete collapse but they lacked support from elsewhere to post a competitive total on a good surface, while their bowling attack lacked threat after the new ball swing was blunted.

Ravindra made his way back into the XI because of illness to Daryl Mitchell, and having come to the crease at 15-2, has given the New Zealand selectors a headache regarding to how to keep him in the side after a classy innings which included 12 fours and a six.

He made the most of a vital missed run out opportunity when he only had 25, followed by drops on 93 and 105 which were less likely to have influenced the result.

The partnership with Latham, who is also in fine form after his century against Pakistan, was a masterclass in strike rotation and taking calculated risks throughout the middle overs as none of the bowlers were able to settle into a spell in the manner of Bracewell.

New Zealand's final group-stage match against India will decide who finishes top of the group but will also provide an interesting assessment of how both unbeaten teams will fare under real pressure for the first time.

Player of the match, New Zealand's Michael Bracewell: "It's awesome to contribute to a win. The main focus was coming here and getting a win and securing a spot in the next round and we did that.

"That's the benefit of our side, we're pretty well-balanced so I'm ready to bowl 10 overs every game."

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto: "I think we started well [but] in the middle we lost too many wickets.

"It is a good wicket to bat, we needed two big partnerships. The way we batted is really disappointing."

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner: "We knew Bangladesh were a tough challenge on this wicket so the way we pulled it back in the middle with the ball was pleasing and Bracewell was outstanding.

"Rachin looks like he's never been away. When he's going, he's tough to stop and his partnership with Tom [Latham] was great."

Both Bangladesh and Pakistan will be hoping to end their Champions Trophy campaign with some pride as they play on Thursday, 27 February, also in Rawalpindi.

New Zealand face India on Sunday, 3 March to decide who finishes top of Group A.

Australia face South Africa in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, which starts at 9:00 GMT.

Both teams are eyeing a semi-final spot, having won their opening matches against England and Afghanistan respectively.