The White Ferns created history with a massive 132-run win against Bangladesh in the opening game of the T20 series in Christchurch last night.
It was their largest win when defending a total.
The home side utterly outclassed its opponent, smashing 164 for three.
Bangladesh mustered only a paltry 32 runs in reply.
Lea Tahuhu nabbed four for six in a career-best, and Hayley Jensen took three for eight.
Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates made a chunky contribution with the bat.
The overwhelmed visitors have a lot of work to do ahead of game two in Dunedin tomorrow.
The early signs were not good for Bangladesh.
Devine blasted the first ball of the match through point for a boundary in a clear display of intent, power and placement.
Her score mounted quickly.
Bates got lucky. She should have been run out at the end of the fifth over, but the bowler Sanjida Meghla could not gather the throw to effect the dismissal.
Bates cashed in on her good fortune with a couple of boundaries in the next over.
Now her score was mounting rapidly as well and so was the team tally. The 50-run partnership came up off 37 balls.
With a solid platform firmly in place, the pair released the handbrake further.
Bates was targeting the square leg boundary with good success. But she eventually perished that way. The Otago right-hander shuffled to off and scooped a shot straight to Salma Khatun at square leg for 41 from 33 balls.
The 84-run stand saw the duo overhaul Australian pair Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy (1627 runs) at the top of the list for most productive opening partnership in women’s international T20. They have amassed 1635 runs at an average of 39.88 at the top of the order for the White Ferns.
Devine was out shortly after for 45 from 34. She got an edge through to the keeper much to the delight of the bowler Jahanara Alam.
Melie Kerr (27) and Maddy Green (36 not out from 23) kept the pressure on with some fine strokes as the White Ferns hunted down a total north of 150.
Some sloppy fielding helped them get there.
Bangladesh’s chase faltered, stumbled, collapsed and folded all too soon.
Tahuhu nabbed two wickets in her first over and a third in her second. Jensen claimed a brace before the powerplay was complete.
At 12 for five, cricket tragics everywhere were scouring the statistics for the lowest innings total in women’s T20 internationals.
The Maldives and Mali share the record with six — yes, six.
The contest was over, so you could forgive a little trainspotting.
Tahuhu provided some more excitement along those lines.
She had a five-wicket bag, well, in the bag except stand-in keeper Green put down a regulation grab and Tahuhu had to settle for four.
Her wife Amy Satterthwaite is the only New Zealand woman with better figures thanks to her haul of six for 17 against England in 2007.
White Ferns wicketkeeper Jess McFadyen was expected to make her debut and was named in the XI, but she was unable to take any part in the fixture due to illness.
NEW ZEALAND
S Devine c Nigar Sultana b Jahanara Alam 45 (34)
S Bates c Salma Khatun b Nahida Akter 41 (33)
A Kerr c Fahima Khatun b Moni 27 (21)
M Green not out 36 (23)
L Tahuhu not out 13 (9)
Extras (1lb, 1w) 2
Total (for 3 wkts, 20 overs) 164
Fall: 1-84, 2-92, 3-134.
Bowling: J Alam 4-0-26-1, S Khatun 3-0-29-0 (1w), N Akter 3-0-25-1, S Meghla 3-0-25-0, R Moni 4-0-28-1, F Khatun 1-0-10-0, R Ahmed 2-0-20-0.
BANGLADESH
Murshida Khatun lbw b Jensen 3 (9)
Dilara Akter c Bates b Tahuhu 2 (12)
Nigar Sultana c Devine b Tahuhu 0 (2)
Fargana Hoque c Bates b Jensen 5 (4)
Rumana Ahmed b Tahuhu 0 (3)
Riti Moni lbw Tahuhu 6 (17)
Fahima Khatun c Devine b A Kerr 5 (17)
Salma Khatun b Jensen 2 (5)
Nahida Akter b Jonas 2 (15)
Sanjida Meghla not out 1 (2)
Jahanara Alam c Green b Jonas 0 (3)
Extras (1lb, 5w) 6
Total (all out, 14.5 overs) 32
Fall: 1-6, 2-6, 3-7, 4-12, 5-12, 6-27, 7-20, 8-30, 9-32, 10-32
Bowling: F Jonas 2.5-1-2-2; J Kerr 2-0-4-0; H Jensen 3-0-8-3 (1w); L Tahuhu 4-0-6-4 (2w); S Devine 1-0-5-0 (2w); A Kerr 2-0-6-1.
Result: Win to New Zealand by 132 runs
