A clinical bowling effort has set up the Black Caps for an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in the opening one-day international at University Oval in Dunedin.
Henry Nicholls Photo: Photosport
Stand-in skipper Tom Latham won the toss and the home team struck quickly.
Seamer Trent Boult took two wickets in his third over, trapping the visitors' opener and captain Tamim Iqbal lbw, before first drop Soumya Sarkar was caught by debutant Devon Conway at cover.
The Bangladeshis never really recovered, and continued to lose wickets regularly. Boult was the main destroyer with 4-27 off 8.5 overs, but Jimmy Neesham (2-27) and Mitchell Santner (2-23) kept the pressure on.
Mahmudullah top-scored for Bangladesh with 27 as the visitors were bowled out for 131 in the 42nd over.
In reply, Martin Guptill got the Black Caps off to a rollicking start, belting 38 off 19 balls before he caught the faintest of edges off Taskin Ahmed for wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim to take the catch.
Henry Nicholls guided New Zealand home early in the 22nd over with an unbeaten 49, just one run shy of his 12th ODI half-century.
Conway chipped in with 27 before he floated a Hasan Mahmud delivery to Mahmudullah at deep square, Will Young going to finish the innings with back-to-back fours.
Boult said afterwards that the toss had been a good one to win.
"I thought the guys put the ball in a nice area there," he said.
"We speak as a group about keeping that pressure on and not letting the opposition get away on us.
"It was nice to restrict them and then to keep the wickets flowing throughout that innings was a good indication that we kind of didn't let them get away.
"It was a good bowling performance all round."
The second ODI is in Christchurch on Tuesday, with the third and final match in Wellington three days later.
A three-match Twenty20 series begins on March 28 in Hamilton.
