Bangladesh claimed an historic five-wicket win over New Zealand on Wednesday after their bowlers ran riot in the opening game of their three-match Twenty20 series on Wednesday in Napier.

This was Bangladesh's first Twenty20 win on New Zealand soil, four days after also claiming a maiden away one-day international win over the Black Caps in Napier.

"I'm really excited and very proud of how we played," said Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.

Asked to bat by Shanto, New Zealand made a disastrous start losing three wickets before reaching 134 for nine in their 20 overs.

"Our bowlers learnt quickly in these conditions with the new ball," Shanto added. "We were really confident after we restricted them."

The Black Caps bowlers gave home fans hope with the early wickets of Bangladesh opener Rony Talukdar and Shanto, but then veteran Litton Das partnered up with Soumya Sarkar, then Towhid Hridoy to steer Bangladesh to 96-4 after 13 overs.

The visitors were wobbling at 97-5 as they lost wickets in quick succession after Afif Hossain was caught for one run off six balls.

Das, who finished on 42 not out, survived two close calls as he battled cramps.

The on-field umpire gave him out lbw on Tim Southee's bowling, but the Bangladesh opener stayed at the crease when the review showed the ball would have sailed over the stumps.

Ish Sodhi then caught Das at the boundary, but stepped onto the boundary rope to give away six runs.

It fell to allrounder Mahedi Hasan, who finished 19 not out, to hit the winning runs in his partnership of 40 alongside Das with eight balls to spare.

"Credit to Bangladesh, they bowled well," said Mitchell Santner, who captained New Zealand with regular white ball skipper Kane Williamson rested.

"We fought hard with the ball to make it interesting, but the powerplay took it away from us with the bat," Santner added.

The second and third Twenty20 Internationals will&nbsp;be played at Mount Maunganui on Friday, then Sunday.&nbsp;

Bangladesh, ranked ninth in Twenty20 international cricket, punched above their weight to floor third-ranked New Zealand.&nbsp;

Having dismissed the Black Caps for 98 in Saturday's third one-day international in losing the series 2-1, the Bangladesh bowlers picked up where they left off.

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Hasan bowled Tim Seifert in the opening over.

Shoriful Islam was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 3-26, including having Finn Allen caught and Glenn Phillips trapped lbw in consecutive balls.

Daryl Mitchell hit consecutive fours before falling for 14 to leave New Zealand 20-4.

Mark Chapman hit 19 off as many balls before being caught with the score on 50-5.&nbsp;

Santner and James Neesham put on 41 before Sarkar took his second catch to dismiss Santner, having also caught Allen in the slips.

Neesham fell two runs short of his 50, holing out at deep cover point, and Southee was caught on eight.

Adam Milne hit a towering six off the final ball to finish 16 not out before Bangladesh's batters chipped away at New Zealand's tally.

Bangladesh claimed an historic five-wicket win over New Zealand on Wednesday after their bowlers ran riot in the opening game of their three-match Twenty20 series on Wednesday in Napier.

Bangladesh claimed an historic five-wicket win over New Zealand on Wednesday after their bowlers ran riot in the opening game of their three-match Twenty20 series on Wednesday in Napier. This was Bangladesh's first Twenty20 win on New Zealand soil, four days after also claiming a maiden away one-day international win over the Black Caps in Napier. "I'm really excited and very proud of how we played," said Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Asked to bat by Shanto, New Zealand made a disastrous start losing three wickets before reaching 134 for nine in their 20 overs. "Our bowlers learnt quickly in these conditions with the new ball," Shanto added. "We were really confident after we restricted them." The Black Caps bowlers gave home fans hope with the early wickets of Bangladesh opener Rony Talukdar and Shanto, but then veteran Litton Das partnered up with Soumya Sarkar, then Towhid Hridoy to steer Bangladesh to 96-4 after 13 overs. The visitors were wobbling at 97-5 as they lost wickets in quick succession after Afif Hossain was caught for one run off six balls. Das, who finished on 42 not out, survived two close calls as he battled cramps. The on-field umpire gave him out lbw on Tim Southee's bowling, but the Bangladesh opener stayed at the crease when the review showed the ball would have sailed over the stumps. Ish Sodhi then caught Das at the boundary, but stepped onto the boundary rope to give away six runs. It fell to allrounder Mahedi Hasan, who finished 19 not out, to hit the winning runs in his partnership of 40 alongside Das with eight balls to spare. "Credit to Bangladesh, they bowled well," said Mitchell Santner, who captained New Zealand with regular white ball skipper Kane Williamson rested. "We fought hard with the ball to make it interesting, but the powerplay took it away from us with the bat," Santner added. The second and third Twenty20 Internationals will be played at Mount Maunganui on Friday, then Sunday. Bangladesh, ranked ninth in Twenty20 international cricket, punched above their weight to floor third-ranked New Zealand. Having dismissed the Black Caps for 98 in Saturday's third one-day international in losing the series 2-1, the Bangladesh bowlers picked up where they left off. ALSO READ | ‘I’ve been blocked from everywhere…’ - Shikhar Dhawan's teary-eyed birthday post for son Zoravar Hasan bowled Tim Seifert in the opening over. Shoriful Islam was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 3-26, including having Finn Allen caught and Glenn Phillips trapped lbw in consecutive balls. Daryl Mitchell hit consecutive fours before falling for 14 to leave New Zealand 20-4. Mark Chapman hit 19 off as many balls before being caught with the score on 50-5. Santner and James Neesham put on 41 before Sarkar took his second catch to dismiss Santner, having also caught Allen in the slips. Neesham fell two runs short of his 50, holing out at deep cover point, and Southee was caught on eight. Adam Milne hit a towering six off the final ball to finish 16 not out before Bangladesh's batters chipped away at New Zealand's tally.

NZ vs BAN: Bangladesh claim historic victory over New Zealand in first T20I at Napier

The third T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan at the McLean Park in Napier came to an abrupt halt during the 12 over as the Kiwi duo of Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips struggled to see the ball as the sunset over the stadium.

Phillips was heard saying to the on-field umpire that seeing Pakistan bowler Haris Rauf’s slower ball was tough due to the awkward light angle of the sun.

Phillips during the brief halt said that it wasn’t the best of time to lose a wicket because of the sunlight while adding they want to continue the momentum after the play resumes.

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“For me, that was a little big niggly and for me and Dev starting to get underway, I didn’t think it was a great time to lose a wicket because of the sun,” Phillips told the Spark Sport broadcast during the brief break.

“We don’t like to make excuses, but for us in this situation of the game, we’d rather keep our momentum going. That’s a big positive we’ve managed to get off for a little bit.

“Now we’ve got to start again and see what the next over presents.”

Notably, it is not the first time play has been stopped due to sunlight position at the McLean Park in Napier. In January 2019, the ODI match between New Zealand and India suffered a half for more than half an hour due to the same reason.

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In 2017, a T20I match between New Zealand and Bangladesh also suffered a similar fate while there have been constant breaks in play during domestic matches in Napier.

The tricky awkward angle of the sunset at McLean Park is due to the pitches being at an east-west alignment while most of the cricket venues around the world have pitches running north and south.&nbsp;

“There is a precedence set at this ground as well. It’s not like they’re doing something crazy,” former Kiwi batsman Mark Richardson said in commentary.

“What happens, you can see the McLean Park stand where it’s got ‘McLean Park’ written on it. The sun comes down and it’s just sitting above the stand on the roof, but it also drops down and it starts shining at a lower level through the windows at the back of the stand – and that can cause some major issues as well. It’s a quirk of this ground.”

Richardson added that the venue staff can put an end to the persisting issue by adding a massive portable object to block the sunlight.&nbsp;

“I’m sorry I’ve got to say – I know it’s a quirk and I know you can’t do much with the sun – but there really should’ve been something (done) to manage this, a structure added on in the knowledge they’re going to get these night games here at McLean Park,” Richardson said.

“They should’ve done something about it, they had time to do it.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan are on the verge of winning the final T20I and end the series on a high after losing the first two T20Is against New Zealand. The two sides will then lock horns in a two-match Test series starting from December 26. 
&nbsp;

The third T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan at the McLean Park in Napier came to an abrupt halt during the 12 over as the Kiwi duo of Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips struggled to see the ball as the sunset over the stadium.

The third T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan at the McLean Park in Napier came to an abrupt halt during the 12 over as the Kiwi duo of Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips struggled to see the ball as the sunset over the stadium. Phillips was heard saying to the on-field umpire that seeing Pakistan bowler Haris Rauf’s slower ball was tough due to the awkward light angle of the sun. Phillips during the brief halt said that it wasn’t the best of time to lose a wicket because of the sunlight while adding they want to continue the momentum after the play resumes. ALSO READ: Players will go out, new faces will come in. But what about Mr Ravi Shastri? “For me, that was a little big niggly and for me and Dev starting to get underway, I didn’t think it was a great time to lose a wicket because of the sun,” Phillips told the Spark Sport broadcast during the brief break. “We don’t like to make excuses, but for us in this situation of the game, we’d rather keep our momentum going. That’s a big positive we’ve managed to get off for a little bit. “Now we’ve got to start again and see what the next over presents.” Notably, it is not the first time play has been stopped due to sunlight position at the McLean Park in Napier. In January 2019, the ODI match between New Zealand and India suffered a half for more than half an hour due to the same reason. ALSO READ: England hire South African batting legend Kallis for Sri Lanka tour In 2017, a T20I match between New Zealand and Bangladesh also suffered a similar fate while there have been constant breaks in play during domestic matches in Napier. The tricky awkward angle of the sunset at McLean Park is due to the pitches being at an east-west alignment while most of the cricket venues around the world have pitches running north and south. “There is a precedence set at this ground as well. It’s not like they’re doing something crazy,” former Kiwi batsman Mark Richardson said in commentary. “What happens, you can see the McLean Park stand where it’s got ‘McLean Park’ written on it. The sun comes down and it’s just sitting above the stand on the roof, but it also drops down and it starts shining at a lower level through the windows at the back of the stand – and that can cause some major issues as well. It’s a quirk of this ground.” Richardson added that the venue staff can put an end to the persisting issue by adding a massive portable object to block the sunlight. “I’m sorry I’ve got to say – I know it’s a quirk and I know you can’t do much with the sun – but there really should’ve been something (done) to manage this, a structure added on in the knowledge they’re going to get these night games here at McLean Park,” Richardson said. “They should’ve done something about it, they had time to do it.” Meanwhile, Pakistan are on the verge of winning the final T20I and end the series on a high after losing the first two T20Is against New Zealand. The two sides will then lock horns in a two-match Test series starting from December 26.

New Zealand vs Pakistan 3rd T20I halted due to sun!

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NZ vs BAN: Bangladesh claim historic victory over New Zealand in first T20I at Napier

New Zealand vs Pakistan 3rd T20I halted due to sun!