Bangladesh turned around spectacularly from the edge of an abyss to dismantle fancied New Zealand by seven wickets in the ODI series opener, their first stylish triumph against a top team on Thursday since their victory over South Africa in the World Cup.
With the first-ever thumping of No. 4 side in the ODIs, a new-look Bangladesh signalled that all was not lost and a new chapter, indeed, could open up after some top players ditched the national team in favour of the wealthy Indian Cricket League.
They have now beaten all major cricketing nations except England and the West Indies in the shorter version of the game.
The Tigers reached 202 for three with 27 balls to spare after Mashrafee Bin Mortaza helped the hosts restrict New Zealand to 201 for nine at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
Opener Junaed Siddique, cool after losing his partner Tamim Iqbal, hammered a career-best 85 while skipper Mohammad Ashraful returned to form with 60 not out to propel the amazing turnaround from the depth of despair.
Man of the match Siddique and Ashraful together put on 109 runs for the third wicket. When the left-handed opener gave an easy catch to Jacob Oram off Mark Gilliespie, Bangladesh had been close to the victory with only eight runs needed from 38 balls with seven wickets in hand.
Ashraful along with Shakib Al Hasan took the side home in 45.3 overs to spark off wild celebrations.
Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim (30 off 57 balls), who was promoted up the order, steadied the innings with 67 runs for the second wicket after Tamim had fallen on 12, leaving the side at 18 for one in 4.1 overs.
The 20-year old opener, Siddique, faced 139 balls and smashed eight fours. Ashraful, who had been going through a bad patch since his century against the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup, hit his 15th ODI fifty to remain unbeaten off 56 balls, studded with five fours and one six.
Earlier, pace spearhead Mashrafee tore through the Black Caps batting order with four wickets in a miserly spell. His bowling colleagues, at times erratic, put up a spirited show to make sure the visitors did not get too far beyond the 200-mark.
Oram struck his 10th ODI fifty to rebuild New Zealand innings but could not stop the side from posting their lowest total against Bangladesh.
Their previous lowest tally of 224 came in Chittagong in 2004.
Mashrafee found his form to justify his captain's decision to bowl first following overnight showers in Mirpur. The tall pacer deftly exploited the early condition and then relied on accuracy to run through the top order with four for 44 in an unbroken eight-over first spell.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak wrecked the tail with three for 33.
Mashrafee, who returned three for 19 in his eight-over first spell with three maidens, could have snared five scalps had Mahmudullah not dropped Tim Southee in the final over.
New Zealand openers Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum, whose 28-ball 80 helped the Tasmanians plunge Bangladesh to a 10-wicket defeat in the final of three ODIs in New Zealand last December, threatened a repeat of a similar drubbing with a brisk 47 for the opening stand before Mashrafee brought the first breakthrough.
McCullum, who seemed uneasy against Mashrafee's pace, slashed him only to be caught by Syed Rasel at thirdman for 14.
Ryder, who was more attacking of the two, specially against Syed Rasel, soon followed his partner. He scored 19 runs in Rasel's first two overs and then smashed first-change Shahadat Hossain for a first-ball six before being holed out at midwicket.
Mashrafee finally had Ryder caught by Mahmudullah for a quickfire 34 off 35 balls, leaving New Zealand at 55 for two in 10.2 overs.
The visitors lost two wickets in quick succession, triggering a top-order collapse as Shahadat and Mashrafee dismissed Ross Taylor (2) and Jamie How (7) inside three runs.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, coming in the 17th over, trapped Scott Styris (4) lbw in his first over and then had Daniel Flynn (6) in his third over to reduce New Zealand to a precarious 79 for six in 21 overs.
However, Jacob Oram and captain Daniel Vettori briefly rescued the Black Caps with a timely 70 for the seventh wicket before Shakib Al Hasan removed the New Zealand skipper for a 57-ball 30 studded with four fours.
Oram, who survived a run-out scare on three, hit 56 off 88 balls featuring four fours and a six before before being caught by Rasel off Razzak.
Tailenders Southee and Kyle Mills scored 19 not out and 16 respectively to give New Zealand bowlers something to bowl at.
Bangladesh did beat New Zealand before, but it was in the warm-up match during the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.
The next match is on Saturday and the third and final game is on Oct 14 in Chittagong.
Subject: New-look Tigers trump NZ ......................... 
Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:29 pm
