Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam won the hearts of many with his kind gesture in the second T20I against New Zealand. The match between the teams took place at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to play first. They got off to a great start with the ball when they removed Finn Allen, courtesy of Shoriful Islam in the second over. However, another incident occurred in the same which made many stand up and applaud the pacer.
During the fifth ball of the second over, Shoriful Islam bowled a long delivery outside off. Daryl Mitchell, who was on strike, stepped forward and turned him away. The ball hit Tim Seifert, who was ducking for cover, hit his head at helmet level, and then fell to the ground.
The ball deflected off Tim Seifert’s helmet towards Shoriful Islam. The batsman was outside the crease and the pacer had a great chance to get him out. At one point he was about to get the batter out, but decided against it.
Here is the video:
Mitchell hit Seifert one in the head pic.twitter.com/8JwtZgSCX5
—Cr. Scott McKenzie (@CrScottMcKenzie) December 29, 2023
Shoriful Islam’s gesture was applauded by many. This came as a surprise to many because Bangladesh has always been doing things against the spirit of cricket. They recently made headlines during the ICC World Cup 2023 when they appealed to dismiss Sri Lanka batsman Angelo Mathews for time-out.
Tim Seifert looked fine after that hit and continued hitting after receiving medical attention. He played big shots in his innings and got his team off the wheel despite losing an early wicket.
Tim Siefert finished with the 23-ball run knock, including six fours and a six. The wicket was not easy the way he did it. The other Kiwi batsmen struggled to get going but the keeper-batsman played with great intent and made sure to get the team off to a good start.
NZ vs BAN: Second T20I between New Zealand and Bangladesh canceled due to rain; Shoriful Islam and Tanzim Sakib pick wickets for Bangladesh
Shoriful Islam got Bangladesh off to a good start in the second T20I. He removed Finn Allen for just 2 runs. After that, Tim Seifert (43) and Daryl Mitchell (18*) steadied the innings and played well after the initial blow. While the latter struggles to score runs at a fast pace, the former made sure to compensate for the sluggishness at the other end.
They added 49 runs for the second wicket before Tanzim Sakib sent Tim Seifert packing. Then Glenn Philips arrived and struggled to get going. He was hitting 9 runs off 14 balls before rain played spoilsport and the match was washed away. The Kiwi were 72/2 in 11 overs before the game was called off.
Bangladesh leads the T20I series by a margin of 1-0. They scripted history when they defeated New Zealand in Napier. This was the first time they had defeated the Kiwis in the shortest format of the game in New Zealand. The third match between the teams will be played on December 31.
