Conway, Mitchell score maiden 100s
Devon Conway and allrounder Daryl Mitchell posted maiden centuries in a record 159-run fifthwicket partnership which lifted New Zealand to 318/6 as they batted first yesterday in the third one-day cricket international against Bangladesh.
On a sun-drenched Basin Reserve Conway struck 126, reaching triple figures from 95 balls. Mitchell reached his century from 92 balls and from the last ball of the innings.
He went into the last over on 83 and hit three boundaries from the first three balls from Mustafizur Rahman, the third from a no ball, to go to 95. Mitchell and Mitchell Santner scrambled two runs from the ensuing free hit but Mitchell managed only a single to be 98 and off strike with two balls remaining.
Santner hit the next ball deep and the pair sprinted through for three runs to put Mitchell back on strike. He clipped the final ball into the leg side and the pair stretched a single into two.
“It was nice to get the job done and Dev (Conway) batted awesomely to get a score for us,” said Mitchell.
Conway has been a fund of runs for New Zealand in white ball cricket since his debut in November, making 366 runs in 11 T20 internationals at an average of 52.2 and now 225 runs in three ODIS at 75. He made 72 in New Zealand’s previous match against Bangladesh at Christchurch.
Conway went to the crease with New Zealand 44/1 in the eighth over after a sound opening partnership between Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls (18).
Guptill (26) was out soon afterwards and Ross Taylor’s return to the New Zealand team after missing the first two matches of the series with injury wasn’t fruitful. He was out for 7 in the 11th over when New Zealand were 57/3.
Conway began rebuilding the innings in a 63-run partnership with stand-in captain Tom Latham, who made 18 before falling to the first ball from Soumya Sarkar.
Mitchell took time to establish himself, before launching a delivery from Mehidy Hasan Miraz over mid-wicket for six. Mitchell and Conway forged an ideal partnership in which Conway provided solidity and steady accumulation and Mitchell was able to hit out.
Conway went to his century with a cut off Taskin Ahmed and his partnership with Mitchell became NZ’S highest for the fifth wicket against Bangladesh, the highest for any wicket on the Basin Reserve.
In reply, Bangladesh were 88/7 after 28 overs when this edition went to press.