Cricket: White Ferns narrowly avoid disastrous loss to Bangladesh at Twenty20 World Cup

Amelia Kerr celebrates a wicket against Bangladesh. Photo / Getty

The White Ferns have narrowly avoided a humiliating exit from the Twenty20 World Cup, overcoming a batting meltdown to rescue a 17-run victory over Bangladesh this afternoon.

A diabolical batting display saw the White Ferns shambolically rolled for 91 – their worst performance in five years – but Bangladesh were even worse, dismissed for 74 off the penultimate ball of the game to blow a glorious chance at a momentous World Cup upset.

It was the lowest total to be successfully defended in the history of the Cup, but that should not be a point of pride for the New Zealanders, who hardly looked like a side that will be challenging for the title.

Their eventual victory sets up a winner-takes-all virtual quarter-final against Australia on Monday, but on the basis of today's performance, Australia should have few problems moving through to the semifinals and dispatching the White Ferns from the tournament.

Frankly, the White Ferns are lucky to even have something riding on that match, after surviving a shambolic batting effort in Melbourne.

The same problems that were exposed in their loss to India were again on display, as, in their first match against Bangladesh in any format, the White Ferns got bogged down by their spinners.

The New Zealand openers started slowly, cautiously moving through to 36-0 in the seventh over, before captain Sophie Devine was dismissed cheaply for the second match in a row – caught at point for 12 off 15 balls.

Rachel Priest (25 off 32), Suzie Bates (15 off 14) and Maddy Green (11 off 16) were similarly slow, but remarkably that was as good as it got for the White Ferns, who promptly collapsed against the Bangladeshi spinners.

Bangladesh were hyped about their bowling performance but less so about their batting display. Photo / Getty

Ritu Moni (4-18), Salma Khatun (3-7) and Rumana Ahmed (2-17) saw the White Ferns collapse from 66-2 to 91 all out, and when Bangladesh reached 17-0, thanks to a 10-ball Lea Tahuhu over featuring a spilled sitter at slip from Amelia Kerr, a mighty upset looked very much on the cards.

However, the White Ferns bowlers – and a Bangladesh implosion – ensured that wouldn't happen. Leigh Kasperek and Hayley Jensen removed the openers, before Kerr conceded just seven from her first three overs to ensure that, somehow, Bangladesh were well behind the required run rate, at 29-2 after nine overs.

It was a solid job by the bowlers, but then they received a big hand from the Bangladeshi batters, as two comical runouts – one which ended with the dismissed batter screaming at her partner – left them (literally) stranded.

Considering they could barely muster three runs an over, the asking rate of seven was never going to happen, and Jensen (3-11) and Kasperek (3-23) combined to end Bangladesh's hope, and keep the White Ferns' tournament alive.

Based on today's effort though, they're unlikely to still be alive come Monday night.