"We need to improve" - Najmul Hossain Shanto furious after Bangladesh's CT 2025 exit

The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh National Cricket Team faced a humiliating loss at the hands of the New Zealand National Cricket Team on Monday, February 24, in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Najmul Hossain Shanto's team lost the match by 5 wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to face an early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Also Read: 'Pakistan qualified for Karachi bus stand' - Mohammad Rizwan's team brutally trolled after CT 2025 exit in 5 days

Bangladesh crushed by New Zealand in Rawalpindi

Batting first in the match, Bangladesh finished with 236/9 on the board. Opening the batting, skipper Shanto came up with a brilliant batting display as he amassed 77 runs off 110 balls.

The next best batter in the innings was Jaker Ali, who played a good knock of 45 runs off 55 balls, while the rest of the batters failed, resulting in the Tigers being restricted to a low score.

Defending the total, Bangladesh picked two early wickets of Will Young and Kane Williamson, but Rachin Ravindra, with his brilliant century, took the game away from the Asian team, and the run-chase was completed in 46.1 overs.

We didn't bat properly - Najmul Hossain Shanto

Speaking after the match, the Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto looked quite disappointed. He said that they started well against New Zealand but were unable to bat well.

He lauded Nahid Rana for heroics with the ball but urged his teammates to improve in the batting and fielding departments. Najmul Hossain Shanto, despite knowing the fact that Bangladesh have been knocked out, said that they want to deliver a good performance against Pakistan in their last match and finish on a high. He said:

"We started well today. We lost too many wickets in the middle overs. We didn't bat properly. Was a good wicket to bat on. We needed two big partnerships. Nahid is brilliant. I am happy with the way he bowled.

"The last two years the bowling unit has done well. I think the game vs Pakistan is an important game. Would be good to finish on a high. We need to improve as a batting and fielding side."

How did Bangladesh perform in their previous ODI vs New Zealand?

Bangladesh delivered a stunning performance in the previous ODI against New Zealand in Napier on December 23, 2023, to clinch a 9-wicket win.

Bowling first, Bangladesh pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Soumya Sarkar, and Mustafizur Rahman dismantled New Zealand’s batting lineup and bowled them out for 98 runs.

Tanzim removed Rachin Ravindra and Henry Nicholls within the first eight overs. Then, Shoriful dismissed Tom Latham and Will Young in quick succession before knocking over Mark Chapman. Sarkar cleaned up the tail, picking up three wickets, while Mustafizur Rahman took the final wicket to complete the demolition.

After that, while chasing the target, Bangladesh batters looked quite good. Despite losing Soumya Sarkar to an eye injury, Anamul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto made the run-chase look like a cakewalk. Anamul played an innings of 37 runs before edging one behind, but Shanto continued batting aggressively, reaching his half-century in just 42 balls.

Bangladesh reached the target in just 15.1 overs, securing their first-ever ODI win in New Zealand. With the victory, they avoided a series whitewash and lost the series 2-1.