LIGHTS ON: That means lights out for debutant Tom Bruce as Soumya Sarkar runs him out after Kane Williamson left him stranded in Napier last night. PHOTO/Paul Taylor
IT was always going to be a match of twenty20 international debuts - even the umpires, Shaun Haig and Wayne Knights, were invited to the party at the Stags' domain yesterday.
Black Caps' "homeboys", Tom Bruce and Ben Wheeler, as well as Lockie Ferguson, of Auckland, were the other chief guests at McLean Park, Napier, as the hosts stuttered before finding their rhythm to persevere to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their opening three-match ANZ International Series.
The prudent would have argued the result was always going to be elementary but that, of course, has to take into account the lottery nature of the most abbreviated format in the summer code and how difficult the Mike Hesson-coached team wanted to make it for themselves in overhauling Bangladesh's 141-8, after the Tigers won the toss and elected to bat.
With head groundsman Phil Stoyanoff and his assistants going back to school to cultivate a drop-in pitch for after the end of this season, the total was always going to be below par at McLean Park for its maiden T20 international.
Even the usually temperamental Wasp agreed during the run chase with a bullish 93 per cent in favour of the New Zealanders, staying faithful on 64 per cent after the tourists' bowlers, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan, sent back opener Neil Broom, No 3 Colin Munro and No 4 Corey Anderson back to the locker room for some loose change.
No 5 Bruce arrived on the crease to help captain Kane Williamson tick the Caps over to 51-3 in seven overs with the first run, a single, for his country after surviving a muffled cry for an edge following a ball down leg side from Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza.
Not long after man-of-the-match Williamson brought up his 1000th T20 international run as the hosts needed 83 runs to win from 63 balls but the visitors' tails were up on the field.
Bruce departed at 62-4, a ball past the halfway mark, when Soumya Sarkar ran him out off a Mortaza delivery but Williamson had left him high and dry three strides on the return for two runs after the captain lost his footing at his end on the turn and unceremoniously turned him back.
The 25-year-old from Stratford, making his first appearance for his country in any format, left rather somewhat sedately for seven runs off nine balls.
No doubt, those who have come to see the bloke known as Bruiser in the domestic arena will have the pleasure of watching him find the boundary ropes in the two remaining twenty20 matches to be staged at the Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui.
Bruce, understandably, looked disappointed but perhaps it was for the best as Williamson kept the tongue of gas flames spewing to spearhead New Zealand to 143-4 in style with a lusty six to amass five fours and two over the ropes.
"It was unfortunate. I felt Brucie was fantastic in the field and confident with the bat, which is great, but I slipped and should have looked after him, I know, but it's one of those things and it's cricket," Williamson said with a wry smile, adding there were no dramas and they would move on.
He agreed they had made hard work of it.
"The job with the ball was outstanding," he said, lauding the bowling attack for stifling the Tigers on a short, square boundary.
He put the batting wobbles down to trying to adapt too quickly in the change in formats from the three one-day series.
Trying to impatiently regain momentum every time they lost wickets left them in limbo.
"I think we'd want to be a little smarter, in general, but I think that happens when you get more into the consistency of playing in a format but, overall, a very good performance."
The country's most prolific run scorer's unbeaten 73 runs was his highest on the global stage, eclipsing his previous 72 not out.
No 6 Colin de Grandhomme kept him company, stopping the rot with 41 not out from 22 balls (also his highest score), including three fours and as many sixes, to keep the bumper crowd entertained as the venue lived up to its balmy Bay reputation when the morning suggested rain was going to interrupt play.
Ferguson took 3-32 but Wheeler's 2-22 was fractionally below the most frugal Mitchell Santer, who claimed 1-20. De Grandhomme was not far behind Wheeler on 1-23 at 5.75 runs an over.
Wheeler's maiden wicket of Tamim Iqbal had a CD flavour to it with Bruce taking the catch at deep midwicket in the third ball of his second over.
Said Williamson: "Outstanding. Ben Wheeler's done it for a while for CD [but] it's great to see him do it here in beige-and-black clothing again.
"He swung the ball nicely at the top and we know he'll be a very, very good death bowler," he said, revealing his first three overs set the tone.
The Blenheim seamer's first wicket triggered off a rash of wickets.
Ferguson, in his first over, sent No 3 Sabbir Rahman packing for 16 from an ill-judged full toss that Matt Henry snaffled.
The speed merchant then accounted for No 5 Soumya Sarkar, caught Corey Anderson, for a golden duck but No 6 Mahmudullah dug out a 147kmh attempted yorker to deny him a fairytale hattrick.
"He came in and bowled fast to make life uncomfortable, I guess, on a wicket that wasn't particularly quick," he said, before singling out Henry's contribution at the death.
William said De Grandhomme's effort with the ball was brilliant but the way he came out with the bat to finish off was a testament to his dexterity.
He wasn't happy with the wides, with Wheeler collecting three in one over at the death, as Ferguson matched Wheeler's four and Henry picked up three in the 18 wides for the night compared to Bangladesh's one each for a leg bye, wide and no ball.
Williamson said it was something for them to work on.