New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner took four wickets before a rearguard batting effort helped the hosts beat Bangladesh by 17 runs via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method in the rain-hit third and final Twenty20 international Sunday to level the series. Santner elected to bowl after winning the toss and took 4/16 to help dismiss Bangladesh for a modest 110 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, leaving the tourists with a daunting task to seal their maiden series victory of any kind in New Zealand. New Zealand collapsed to 49/5 in response after Mahedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam struck timely blows, but Santner (18 not out) and Jimmy Neesham (28 not out) held their nerve to take them to within 16 runs of victory when heavy rain halted play. New Zealand were ahead of the DLS par score of 78 at that stage before the game was eventually called off. Bangladesh sealed a five-wicket win in the series opener in Napier Wednesday for their first T20 win on New Zealand soil, four days after beating the hosts in the last game of the three-match one-day international series which they lost 2-1. The second T20 was washed out with no result. The series was part of both teams' preparations for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States in June next year.

An upbeat Bangladesh looked determined to come all guns blazing as they take on New Zealand for the third and final T20 International in a bid to seal the series at Bay Oval in Maunt Maunganui tomorrow (Sunday, 31 December). The match starts at 6 AM (Bangladesh Time). Bangladesh lead the series 1-0 following their five-wicket victory in the first match. The second game was washed out after largely being dominated by Bangladesh, who started form where they ended in the first game. A victory in the final game would help them end the year with high note apart from securing their fourth straight T20 series win. Bangladesh this year played three series in this format and won all including a three-match series sweep against T20 World Cup champions England. All of those three series victories came at home soil. If they can win the final game, it will be their first series victory on New Zealand soil and help them end the year unbeaten in a particular format for the first time in their history. "The target is to win," middle order batter Towhid Hridoy said. "Our body language is always energetic as we want to win every match we play against any team." The series victory also will prove their further progress in a format where they are considered as a vulnerable team. In fact a series victory on New Zealand soil is not a everyone's cup of tea, specially a side hailed from Asian region. After winning the first game with quite ease, Bangladesh started promisingly in the second game in a venue in which they got their landmark Test victory against New Zealand last year. Before that Test victory, Bangladesh lost all of their matches to Kiwis at their own den in all format of cricket. The Test victory was indeed prelude to snap their losing streak in ODI and T20 format too. Bangladesh were without the service of Liton Das in the second game after he was ruled out of the series with hamstring injury sustained during the first match. Liton played a match winning 42 not out to be instrumental in Bangladesh' five-wicket victory. Soumya Sarkar also had a hand injury but he was cleared fit to play the second game. "It doesn't matter who is playing or who is not. We always try to play as a team. Whoever comes into the team, he wants to contribute as much as he can," Hridoy remarked. "The senior players will not play for Bangladesh always. But we have to move on. We have to play our best and that's the target." Overall the two teams played 19 matches in this format, with New Zealand winning 14 and Bangladesh just four while one match ended no result. Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Liton Das, Rony Talukdar, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice Captain), Shak Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Tanzim Hasan Sakib. New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee.   Source: BSS

Bangladesh claimed an historic five-wicket win over New Zealand Wednesday after their seamers ran riot in the opening game of their three-match Twenty20 series Wednesday (Dec 27) in Napier. This was Bangladesh's first T20 win on New Zealand soil, four days after also claiming a maiden away one-day international win over the Black Caps in Napier. Asked to bat by Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto, New Zealand made a disastrous start losing three wickets before reaching 134 for nine after their 20 overs. The Black Caps bowlers gave home fans hope with the early wickets of Bangladesh opener Rony Talukdar and Shanto. Veteran Liton Das partnered up with Soumya Sarkar, then Towhid Hridoy to steer Bangladesh to 96/4 after 13 overs. The visitors were wobbling at 97/5 as they lost wickets in quick succession after Afif Hossain was caught for one run in six balls. Liton, who finished on 42 not out, survived two close calls as he battled cramp. The on-field umpire gave him out leg before wicket on Tim Southee's bowling, but the Bangladesh opener stayed at the crease when the review showed the ball would have sailed over the stumps. Ish Sodhi then caught Liton at the boundary, but stepped onto the boundary rope to give away six runs. It fell to Mahedi Hasan, who finished 19 not out, to hit the winning runs in his partnership of 40 with Liton with eight balls to spare. The second and third T20Is will both be played at Mount Maunganui Friday, then Sunday.  Bangladesh, ranked ninth in T20I cricket, punched above their weight to floor third-ranked New Zealand.  Having dismissed New Zealand for 98 in Saturday's third ODI in losing the series 2-1, the Bangladesh bowlers picked up where they left off. Mahedi bowled Tim Seifert in the opening over. Shoriful Islam was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 3/26, including having Finn Allen caught and Glenn Phillips trapped lbw in consecutive balls. Daryl Mitchell hit consecutive fours before falling for 14 to leave New Zealand 20/4. Mark Chapman hit 19 off as many balls before being caught with the score on 50/5.  Captain Mitchell Santner and James Neesham put on 41 before Soumya grabbed his second catch to dismiss Santner, having also caught Allen in the slips. Neesham fell two runs short of his 50, holing out at deep cover point, and Southee was caught on eight. Adam Milne hit a towering six off the final ball to finish 16 not out, but Bangladesh's batters chipped away at New Zealand's tally.

Bangladesh opener Fargana Hoque and South Africa bowler Marizanne Kapp have made notable gains in the ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings after their ICC Women's Championship series which South Africa won 2-1," the International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday (Dec 26). Hoque, who scored 102 in the second match in Potchefstroom, has moved up two spots to a career-high 13th position, while Kapp has moved up one spot to eighth after returning identical figures of two for 21 in the series' second and third matches, which counted towards the most recent weekly rankings update. Laura Wolvaardt stole the show in both games, scoring a half-century in the second ODI and a fifty in the final against Bangladesh. Despite not rising in the rankings, she maintained her fourth-place position on the batters list, now only two rating points behind Chamari Athapaththu (No. 3) and 14 behind Beth Mooney (No. 2). Natalie Sciver-Brunt of England continues to lead the way.   Sune Luus has risen three places to 22nd after scores of 47 not out and 34, Tazmin Brits has risen 32 places to 41st after scores of 50 and 118, while Anneke Bosch has risen 71 places to 70th after a match-winning 65 not out off 63 balls in the second round. The bowlers from the home side to climb up the table are Nadine de Klerk (up four places to 19th) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (up six places to 24th). Bangladesh's leg-spinner Rabeya Khan has moved up four places to 52nd, while Ritu Moni has moved up eight places to 68th among hitters and four places to 90th among bowlers.   Source: ANI

Pele "would have been sad" at the state of the current Brazilian national team, his son Edinho has told AFP in an interview days before the first anniversary of his death. Brazil have struggled in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and presently occupy sixth place in the South American table, the last spot that affords direct qualification. The Selecao have struggled without their biggest current star, Neymar, who is a long-term injury absentee after tearing knee ligaments. "This crisis didn't appear overnight, there are big and complex problems," said Edinho, 53, who is one of Pele's seven children. "We are experiencing a decline... we still have great players but in previous times we had more high-level players than we do today." Edinho, who was raised by his mother as Pele and her separated shortly after they moved to New York when he signed for New York Cosmos in 1975 but grew closer to him in later life, added: "There is no doubt, if (Pele) had been there this year, he would have been very sad." Santos, the Brazilian club where Pele spent most of his career, are also going through a tough period after they were relegated to the second division for the first time in its 111-year history. The club is wracked by financial problems and boardroom rifts. "Unfortunately this is no surprise. Anyone who has followed the daily life of the club could have anticipated such a scenario, and it has ended up happening," said Edinho, who was Santos' goalkeeper for several seasons. The ceremonies to mark Friday's first anniversary of Pele's death from cancer at the age of 82 are expected to be low-key. The six surviving children of the man widely considered the greatest footballer in history will hold a virtual meeting to mark the moment as several live in the United States, while a ceremony is scheduled to be held at the mausoleum in Santos that was opened to the public in May. Edinho, whose life has been far from smooth serving time for money laundering and drug trafficking, said the loss of the charismatic man who scored 77 goals in 92 appearances for Brazil had left a huge hole in the family's life. "He was exceptional, we miss him a lot," Edinho said. "He carried our country's name through football, which we are very proud of."   Source: BSS