In the first of three Twenty20s, the Bangladesh team replaced vice-caption Mehedi Hasan Miraz with Mahedi Hasan, a calculated wager that ultimately paid off handsomely.
In his first Twenty20 International for the Tigers in nearly fourteen months, Mahedi took two wickets with his off-spin for just fourteen runs. He also scored an unbeaten nineteen off sixteen balls and collaborated with Liton Das for forty runs to help Bangladesh secure victory.
It was unexpected that the 29-year-old was selected in the eleven over Miraz, given that his Twenty20 record in New Zealand prior to yesterday’s match was not particularly impressive.
In three prior appearances in the country, Mahedi averaged 29 runs per wicket while committing an economy rate of 11.6.
With the ball, Miraz has an economy rate of 6.00 and an average of 24 in the two Twenty20 Internationals he has participated in within the nation.
Nevertheless, the decision by team management to substitute Mahedi for Miraz in the match against New Zealand was indicative of the latter’s recent progress as a white-ball bowler.
Mahedi capitalized on his limited opportunities during the recent ODI World Cup by taking six wickets at an average of 24.33 in three games, the most of any Bangladeshi bowler.
It was somewhat unexpected, in light of his performances, that Mahedi was only selected for the Twenty20 series against the New Zealanders and not the ODI squad.
Upon the team’s initial inclusion, the all-rounder duly rewarded that confidence with two doubles.
Additionally, it was unexpected that captain Najmul Hossain Shanto would give Mahedi the ball to begin the innings despite having three pacers at his disposal.
In the third One-Day International (ODI) played at the identical venue, the pace tandem of Shoriful Islam and Tanzim Hasan Sakib were devastating with the new ball. Bangladesh dismissed the hosts for 98 runs, which only served to heighten the hosts’ astonishment.
However, Shanto did not reach his conclusion on an impulse.
Tim Seifert, one of the New Zealand openers, has struggled recently against slower bowlers and has been dismissed twice in the format by spinners.
Bangladesh sought to capitalize on this vulnerability by entrusting Mahedi with the initiative, and in the first over, he did so by dismissing Seifert for duck with a flighted delivery that rattled his stumps.
Despite Mahedi’s initial delivery of a six-run off Shoriful and New Zealand falling behind by three runs inside two overs due to a double-boundery in the second over, the spinner was substituted for Sakib.
However, Shanto made a bold decision and reintroduced Mahedi into the attack when Daryl Mitchell hit Shoriful for two commanding boundaries in the fourth over. Mitchell, a batter renowned for his aggressive approach against spinners—as evidenced by the 552 runs he amassed during the ODI World Cup in India—was a formidable opponent.
However, Mitchell’s reputation did not deter Mahedi, who delivered a flighted ball that eluded his bat and landed on the off-stump.
Together with Shoriful, Mahedi’s bowling established the tempo of the match, and his partnership with Liton sealed the deal, with the all-rounder securing the final boundary that proclaimed a momentous triumph for the Tigers in Twenty20s, their very first against the hosts.
The all-rounder was duly recognized as the player-of-the-match, notwithstanding his lack of success as a batsman or as the most prolific bowler during the match.