Some cricket rivalries are built on decades of competitive matches.
The Bangladesh vs New Zealand timeline wasn’t like that.
For 21 years, this was target practice. New Zealand batted, Bangladesh collapsed, repeat.
Then one Test in Mount Maunganui flipped the entire script.
Bangladesh National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline
Timeline at a Glance: Key Series Results
| Period | Series Location | Format | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2001 | New Zealand | Test | NZ 2-0 | Both innings defeats |
| Oct 2004 | Bangladesh | Test | NZ 2-0 | Both innings defeats |
| Jan 2008 | Bangladesh | Test | NZ 1-0 | One draw included |
| Feb 2010 | New Zealand | Test | NZ won | 121 runs |
| Oct 2013 | Bangladesh | Test | 0-0 | Both draws |
| Jan 2017 | New Zealand | Test | NZ 2-0 | 7 & 9 wickets |
| Mar 2019 | New Zealand | Test | NZ 2-0 | Both innings defeats |
| Jan 2022 | New Zealand | Test | 1-1 | Historic split |
| Dec 2023 | New Zealand | ODI | NZ 2-1 | BAN won the finale |
The Massacre Years (2001–2004)
Hamilton, January 2001: Reality Check
Bangladesh’s first-ever Test against New Zealand started with hope. It ended in humiliation.
New Zealand batted first and made 365. Not a huge total. Bangladesh thought they had a chance.
Then the collapse happened. 205 all out. Follow-on enforced. Second innings: 108 all out.
New Zealand won by an innings and 52 runs without batting again.
Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle smashed the bowling. Stephen Fleming controlled the game. Bangladesh’s batters had no answers to Chris Cairns’ pace.
Wellington, January 2001: Worse Somehow
If Hamilton was bad, Wellington was brutal.
Bangladesh managed just 132 in their first innings. New Zealand declared at 341/6. Bangladesh followed on and made 135.
Lost by an innings and 74 runs. Again.
Daniel Vettori spun through the lineup. Bangladesh couldn’t read him. Couldn’t play him. Couldn’t survive him.
Two Tests. Two innings defeats. Welcome to international cricket.
Dhaka, October 2004: Home Doesn’t Help
Bangladesh hosted New Zealand three years later. Surely home conditions would help.
They didn’t.
New Zealand posted 402. Bangladesh replied with 177. Following on, they made 126. Lost by innings and 99 runs.
Chris Martin took wickets. Daniel Vettori took more wickets. Bangladesh’s batters kept getting out in the same ways.
Chittagong, October 2004: Bigger Beating
New Zealand went to Chittagong and declared at 545/6. Stephen Fleming scored 202. Nathan Astle made 118.
Bangladesh managed 182 and 262 following on. Lost by innings and 101 runs.
Four Tests played. Four innings defeats. Zero hope.
First Signs of Life (2008–2010)
Chittagong, January 2008: Almost There
Bangladesh finally showed fight. They scored 245 batting first. New Zealand made 171. Bangladesh had a 74-run lead.
Second innings: Bangladesh 242. New Zealand needed 317 to win.
They got there. But barely. 317/7. Three wickets remaining.
Bangladesh pushed New Zealand to the edge. They just couldn’t push them over.
Mirpur, January 2008: Saved by Rain
Rain washed out three days. The match ended in a draw.
Bangladesh didn’t win. But they didn’t lose. That counted as progress.
Hamilton, February 2010: Big Runs, Bigger Loss
Bangladesh scored 408 in the first innings. Their highest against New Zealand.
New Zealand declared at 553/7. Bangladesh made 282 chasing 404. Lost by 121 runs.
They scored 690 runs in the match. Still lost by triple digits. That hurt differently.
But they batted properly. They occupied the crease. They made New Zealand work.
The Breakthrough Series (2013)
Chittagong, October 2013: Bangladesh’s Statement
Chittagong 2013 needs its own section. This is where everything changed.
Bangladesh batted first and kept batting. And batting. And batting.
Tamim Iqbal scored 95. Mominul Haque made 181. Shakib Al Hasan contributed 87. Mushfiqur Rahim added 100.
Final total: 501 all out.
Five. Hundred. And. One.
New Zealand replied with 469. Kane Williamson scored 114.
BJ Watling made 103. They matched Bangladesh stroke for stroke.
New Zealand declared at 287/7 in their second innings. Bangladesh finished at 173/3.
Match drawn. But Bangladesh had announced its arrival.
Mirpur, October 2013: Washed Out Glory
Rain dominated again. The match was drawn.
But Bangladesh had drawn the series. They didn’t lose to New Zealand for the first time.
The psychological barrier cracked.
Back to Losing (2017–2019)
Wellington, January 2017: Harsh Reality
Bangladesh toured New Zealand again. Wellington brought them back to earth.
New Zealand posted 432. Bangladesh made 217 and 161. Lost by 7 wickets.
The gap remained massive away from home.
Christchurch, January 2017: Mountain to Climb
Bangladesh showed more fight. They scored 289 and 226.
New Zealand declared at 562/6. Kane Williamson scored 102. Henry Nicholls made 145.
Lost by 9 wickets. The series ended 2-0.
Bangladesh competed better. Results stayed the same.
Hamilton, March 2019: Record Defeat
New Zealand batted once and declared at 715/6.
Tom Latham scored 161. Kane Williamson made 104. Henry Nicholls contributed 157.
Bangladesh made 234 and 209. Lost by innings and 272 runs.
New Zealand’s biggest win against Bangladesh.
Wellington, March 2019: More Pain
Another innings defeat. New Zealand’s dominance continued.
The Christchurch Test was cancelled after the tragic mosque shooting. Cricket didn’t matter that week.
The Match That Changed Everything (2022)
Mount Maunganui, January 1-5, 2022: History Written
Day one looked normal. New Zealand 258/5 at stumps. Devon Conway is batting well.
Day two changed the narrative. New Zealand finished at 328. Bangladesh’s openers survived till stumps. Shadman Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy showed patience.
Day three stunned everyone. Bangladesh just batted. All day. Joy made 78 off 228 balls. He occupied the crease for nearly five hours.
Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 64. Mominul Haque contributed 88. Liton Das smashed 86 off 117 balls.
Bangladesh declared at 458. A 130-run lead in New Zealand. Nobody saw this coming.
Day four belonged to New Zealand early on. Ross Taylor, playing his final Mount Maunganui Test, scored 40. He fought hard.
Then Ebadot Hossain happened.
Ebadot’s Test average before this match: 81.54. He’d taken 11 wickets in 10 Tests. People questioned why he was even playing.
He took 4 wickets on day four. New Zealand ended at 147/5. Still hoping.
Day five lasted 30 minutes of play. Ebadot struck immediately. He took the last 2 wickets to finish with 6/46. Career-best figures.
Taskin Ahmed supported with 3/36. New Zealand all out 169.
Bangladesh needed 40 runs. They lost two wickets chasing, but got there before lunch.
Won by 8 wickets. First Test win against New Zealand. First win in New Zealand across any format. First away win against a top-five team.
The cricket world stopped.
Christchurch, January 9-11, 2022: Reality Restored
New Zealand responded like champions. Tom Latham scored 252. His highest Test score. Devon Conway made 109.
They declared at 521/6. Trent Boult took 5/43. Bangladesh was bowled out for 126.
Following on, Bangladesh made 278. Lost by innings and 117 runs inside three days.
Series ended 1-1. But Bangladesh had made its point.
Recent Matches (2023–2025)
Dunedin ODI, December 2023: Familiar Pattern
New Zealand batted first and posted a big total. Bangladesh fell short by 44 runs.
Standard script.
Nelson ODI, December 2023: More of the Same
New Zealand won by 7 wickets. Bangladesh couldn’t defend their total.
Two losses. Then came Napier.
Napier ODI, December 2023: Breaking Through
Bangladesh chased down the target with 9 wickets in hand.
First ODI win in New Zealand. Finally.
The Mount Maunganui Test wasn’t a fluke. Bangladesh could win in New Zealand.
Rawalpindi, February 2025: Champions Trophy
Bangladesh lost by 5 wickets. Will Young and Tom Latham had scored centuries against Pakistan earlier. They were in form.
Bangladesh competed but fell short again.
What These Matches Prove?
The Bangladesh vs New Zealand timeline isn’t about consistent competition. It’s about specific matches that changed perceptions.
Hamilton 2001 showed the gap. Chittagong 2013 showed improvement. Mount Maunganui 2022 showed equality.
Between these landmark matches, dozens of forgettable losses happened. But those three matches defined the rivalry.
Head-to-Head Summary
- Tests: 19 matches, NZ 14 wins, BAN 2 wins, 3 draws
- ODIs: 46 matches, NZ 34 wins, BAN 11 wins
- T20Is: 20 matches, NZ 15 wins, BAN 4 wins
The numbers show New Zealand’s dominance. The matches show Bangladesh’s growth.
Players Who Made the Difference
- Shakib Al Hasan played in most of these matches. He scored runs when others failed. He took wickets when breakthroughs were needed.
- Mushfiqur Rahim batted for time. His technique worked in tough situations.
- Ebadot Hossain went from joke to hero in five days.
- For New Zealand, Trent Boult took wickets consistently. Ross Taylor scored runs reliably. Tom Latham showed up when it mattered.
Future Matches to Watch
Bangladesh proved they can win in New Zealand. Future tours will carry genuine tension.
Will New Zealand dominate again? Or will Bangladesh build on 2022?
The next Test series between these teams won’t be boring. That’s guaranteed.
FAQs
- Which match was Bangladesh’s first win?
Mount Maunganui, January 5, 2022. Won by 8 wickets.
- What was the biggest defeat?
New Zealand won by innings and 272 runs in Hamilton, 2019.
- Which series was most competitive?
2013 in Bangladesh. Both Tests drawn. Bangladesh scored 501 in one match.
- Who played in the most matches?
Shakib Al Hasan for Bangladesh. He featured in nearly every series.
- Will future matches be closer?
Yes. Bangladesh proved they can compete. New Zealand can’t take them lightly anymore.
- Which format does Bangladesh compete best in?
ODIs. They’ve won 11 out of 46 matches, better than their Test record.
Conclusion: Matches Define Rivalries
The Bangladesh national cricket team vs New Zealand national cricket team timeline comes down to key matches.
2001 showed the gap. 2013 showed progress. 2022 showed arrival.
Most matches were one-sided. A few changed everything.
That’s how rivalries work. Not every match matters equally. But some matches matter more than entire series.
Mount Maunganui 2022 matters more than the previous 15 Tests combined.
Also Check:
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- Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs Australian Men’s Cricket Team Timeline
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