Pallekele: Brendon McCullum became the first cricketer to score two centuries in Twenty20 Internationals on Friday as New Zealand launched their ICC World T20 campaign with a crushing 59-run victory over Bangladesh.
McCullum (123) was in devastating form as he butchered the Bangladesh bowlers with 11 fours and seven sixes in his 58-ball knock to guide New Zealand to 191 for three after being asked to bat in the opening Group D match in Pallekele.
Chasing a mammoth target of 192, the highest so far in this edition of the ICC World Twenty20, Bangladesh could score just 132 for eight. Kyle Mills (3/33) triggered a Bangladesh top-order collapse with pace colleague Tim Southee chipping in with three wickets for just 16 runs.
McCullum, whose blitzkrieg left the sparse crowd at the stadium spellbound, was on a record-breaking spree as his hundred was the highest score in any Twenty20 International as well as in the short history of ICC World T20.
His earlier T20 International hundred – 116 not out – came in February 2010 in Christchurch against Australia.
The earlier highest score in T20 International stands in the name of West Indian swashbuckler Chris Gayle (117 in 2007 edition of the ICC World T20 against South Africa in Johannesburg) and South African Richard Levi (117 not out against New Zealand in Hamilton in February this year).
Gayle’s 117 in the 2007 edition was the earliest highest score in ICC World T20. This hundred from McCullum is the fourth century in ICC World Twenty20 history.
McCullum, who has played 48 T20 Internationals and scored 1443 runs at an average of 36.07 before this match, shared 94 runs for second wicket with James Franklin (35) in 10.9 overs to set up the big total.
The 30-year-old wicketkeeper batsman stitched another 78 runs for the third wicket with captain Ross Taylor (14 not out) from just 35 balls. He was out in the last ball of the innings off the bowling of Abdur Razzak.
With the match out of their grasp, Bangladesh tried to score maximum runs from the remaining overs to increase their Net Run Rate. Nasir Hossain hit two fours off veteran Vettori in the 16th over before being out two overs later off the bowling of Southee. (PTI)