New Zealand kept their nerve in Dhaka and, for a while at least, made a tricky chase look almost routine. Bevon Jacobs struck an unbeaten 62 to steer the visitors to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in the third T20I, helping New Zealand level the three-match series 1-1 after a stop-start contest that had a bit of everything: early wickets, a collapse, rain, and one innings that settled the whole thing.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 102 in 14.2 overs, a total that never really felt safe once the interruptions eased and New Zealand got a cleaner run at the chase. Even then, it was not completely straightforward. Shoriful Islam kept Bangladesh in the game with 3 for 19 and asked a few awkward questions up front. But Jacobs answered them in the sharpest way possible, finishing unbeaten and taking control of the chase before the pressure could properly build.
That knock was the difference. Plain and simple.
Jacobs didn’t just score runs; he changed the mood of the match. Bangladesh had some early hope, especially with Shoriful finding movement and breakthroughs, but once Jacobs settled, the chase tilted. New Zealand reached the target with six wickets in hand, and the result squared a series that had swung oddly from one game to the next. Bangladesh had taken the opener, the second match was washed out, and this one finally gave New Zealand the response they badly needed.
There was another subplot tucked into the result as well. Legspinner Ish Sodhi, already one of New Zealand’s most reliable white-ball bowlers, became his country’s leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals during the match, adding a personal milestone on a night that ended well for the tourists overall.
For Bangladesh, the frustration will be the batting. On home turf, in conditions they usually understand better than most teams, 102 all out was always going to leave the bowlers with very little room. Shoriful did his part and more, but a total that low meant Bangladesh were defending hope as much as runs.
For New Zealand, though, this was the sort of performance that steadies a tour. Jacobs provided the headline, the chase had enough composure, and the series ended level rather than slipping away. In a short series, that matters. One good innings can flip the story. This one certainly did.
