Finn Allen blitz takes New Zealand to 65-run win

AUCKLAND: Finn Allen smashed 71 off 29 balls as New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 65 runs in a third T20I curtailed by rain at Eden Park on Thursday. Allen, who will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League this season, smashed 10 fours and three sixes in a match that was reduced to 10 overs a side.

Allen's whirlwind innings propelled New Zealand to 141/4 and in reply, Bangladesh folded for 76 runs.

New Zealand have thus swept the series 3-0.

Bangladesh hardly got going in their chase with captain Tim Southee pegging them back in the very first over with back-to-back wickets of openers Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das. Todd Astle then took two wickets in the fourth over to reduce Bangladesh to 37/4 by which time the visitors needed 105 to win off 36 balls.

Bangladesh were all out in the 10th over, with Glenn Phillips dismissing Nasum Ahmed off the third ball of the over.

The match got off to a delayed start due to rain and openers Allen and Martin Guptill got the hosts off to a flier. The pair put up 85 runs in the first six overs. Guptill fell on 44 off 19 balls but Allen went on to get to his half century in just 18 balls, thus equalling Colin Munro's record for the second-fastest half century by a Kiwi batsman in T20Is.

Allen fell in the last over of the innings.

Brief scores: New Zealand 141/4 in 10 overs (Finn Allen 71, Martin Guptill 44; Soriful Islam 1/21) beat Bangladesh 76 in 9.3 overs (Mohammad Naim 19; Todd Astle 4/13, Tim Southee 3/15) by 65 runs. IANS

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