Key Points

While Devine and Halliday steadied the innings with a commanding 112-run stand for the fourth wicket, Bangladesh's young leg-spinner Rabeya Khan starred with the ball, claiming 3/30 to keep her side in the contest.

Opting to bat first, New Zealand got off to a cautious start on a sluggish surface. Suzie Bates finally found form in this edition and provided a solid platform, but her dismissal on 29 -- following a mix-up with partner Georgia Plimmer -- triggered a mini-collapse.

Plimmer's struggles ended on 4 off 18 balls after being stumped in the ninth over, and soon after, Amelia Kerr was cleaned up by Rabeya for 1, leaving the White Ferns reeling at 35/2 at the end of the powerplay.

That's when Devine and Halliday took charge. Showing remarkable patience and composure, the pair steadied the ship, rotating strike effectively and capitalising on loose deliveries. Halliday reached a well-composed fifty off 80 balls before falling for 69 in the 39th over. Devine continued the resistance, bringing up her half-century off 82 balls and later perishing for a fighting 63 while attempting to accelerate.

Lower-order contributions from Maddy Green (25), Isabella Gaze (12), Lea Tahuhu (12), and Eden Carson (4) added some valuable runs as New Zealand closed on 227/9 after 50 overs.

Bangladesh, after dominating the first phase of play, failed to pick up wickets regularly in the middle overs -- a lapse that allowed New Zealand to rebuild. Rabeya Khan was the standout performer with her disciplined spell of 3-30 from 10 overs. She was well supported by Marufa Akter (1-58), Nahida Akter (1-36), Nishita Akter Nishi (1-47), and Fahima Khatun (1-37), though the pacers were on the expensive side.

With 227 runs to chase on a slow, sluggish pitch, Bangladesh will need a composed batting effort to overhaul the target and maintain their momentum in the tournament.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 227/9 in 50 overs (Brooke Halliday 69, Sophie Devine 63; Rabeya Khan 3-30, Nadiha Akter 1-36) against Bangladesh

- IANS