Incessant rain washed out the first one-day international between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Dhaka on Thursday.
Match officials declared the game abandoned after rain halted the New Zealand innings at 136-5 in 33.4 overs. Will Young was the highest scorer for New Zealand with 58 off 91 balls and shared 97 runs with Henry Nicholls for the third wicket to help the visitors recover from 2-16.
Bangladesh earlier won the toss and elected to bowl first, but rain stopped the game for more than two hours after just 4.3 overs.
Mustafizur Rahman dismissed Finn Allen for nine and Chad Bowes for one in successive overs after play resumed. The rain truncated the game into a 42-overs-a-side contest.
Young and Nicholls repaired the damage, before Mustafizur broke their partnership by trapping Nicholls leg-before for 44.
Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed soon removed Young and Rachin Ravindra to halt New Zealand’s progress. The second and third ODIs will be played at the same ground on September 23 and 26.
New Zealand have not won an ODI series in Bangladesh in the last 15 years, having lost all seven matches to the hosts in the last two series in 2010 and 2013.
BRIEF SCORES
New Zealand 136-5 in 33.4 overs (Will Young 58, Henry Nicholls 44; Mustafizur Rahman 3-27, Nasum Ahmed 2-21)
Result: Match abandoned
Toss: Bangladesh
Series: 0-0 in three-match series
New Zealand’s Tom Blundell plays a shot during the first ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Thursday. (AFP)
