Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, marked his triumphant return to the World Cup after recovering from an injury layoff with a resilient half-century.
His remarkable performance guided the 2019 runners-up to their third consecutive victory, as they comfortably defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in Chennai on Friday.
New Zealand's pursuit of a 246-run target was made possible by the brilliant displays of their pace bowlers, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry, who dismantled the Bangladeshi batting order.
In his first competitive game since suffering a knee ligament injury in March, Williamson showcased his class by scoring 78 runs. He partnered effectively with Devon Conway (45) and later held his ground alongside Daryl Mitchell (89, not out).
However, Williamson was forced to retire due to a finger injury, which added to his earlier troubles of being hit on the thumb and experiencing knee soreness.
While Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim (66) and captain Shakib Al Hasan (40) tried to mount a comeback with a 96-run partnership, the team's earlier careless strokeplay had put them in a precarious position.
Despite a late surge by Mahmudullah (41 not out), Bangladesh managed to post a modest total of 245-9.
In a strategic move, Williamson chose to field first after winning the toss, and New Zealand swiftly made an impact with Trent Boult dismissing Litton Das with the very first ball of the contest.
Lockie Ferguson's early pace and bounce accounted for Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, while Glenn Phillips dismissed Najmul Hossain Shanto in his first over, leaving Bangladesh at 56-4.
Shakib, despite his injury, attempted to hit Ferguson for a six but fell in the process in the 30th over, and Mushfiqur's stumps were shattered by Matt Henry. New Zealand's comprehensive victory underlined their strong position in the tournament after wins against England and the Netherlands.
