by Bangladesh cricket against New Zealand was a joke for 21 years. Then it wasn’t.
The Bangladesh vs New Zealand timeline shows one of cricket’s most dramatic transformations.
Bangladesh National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline
From getting destroyed by innings margins to winning in Mount Maunganui, Bangladesh rewrote its own story.
Timeline Snapshot: BAN vs NZ (2001–2025)
| Year | Format | Venue | Outcome | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Test | New Zealand | Lost 0-2 | Brutal introduction |
| 2004 | Test | Bangladesh | Lost 0-2 | Home defeats hurt more |
| 2008 | Test | Bangladesh | Lost 0-1, 1 draw | First survival |
| 2010 | Test | New Zealand | Lost by 121 runs | Smaller margins |
| 2013 | Test | Bangladesh | 0-0 draw | Breakthrough series |
| 2017 | Test | New Zealand | Lost 0-2 | Reality check |
| 2022 | Test | New Zealand | Won 1-1 | History rewritten |
| 2023 | ODI | New Zealand | Won in Napier | White-ball progress |
The Early Beatings (2001–2008)
2001: Welcome to Test Cricket
Bangladesh entered Test cricket in 2000. Their first series against New Zealand came in 2001.
Hamilton showed them reality. New Zealand 365/9 declared. Bangladesh 205 and 108 following on. Lost by innings and 52 runs.
Wellington was worse. Bangladesh 132 and 135. New Zealand 341/6 declared. Lost by innings and 74 runs.
Four innings. None reached 210. Two follow-ons. No contest.
2004: Home Doesn’t Help
Bangladesh thought playing in Dhaka and Chittagong would change things. It didn’t.
Dhaka: Lost by innings and 99 runs. Chittagong: Lost by innings and 101 runs.
New Zealand’s pace bowlers enjoyed Bangladesh’s pitches. Their batters feasted on Bangladesh’s bowling. The gap looked permanent.
2008: First Sign of Fight
Chittagong brought a different Bangladesh. They scored 245 and 242. New Zealand needed 317 to win and got there with just 3 wickets left.
Bangladesh nearly won. They pushed New Zealand hard. The margin was 7 wickets, but it felt closer.
Mirpur was drawn after rain. Bangladesh avoided defeat for the first time against New Zealand.
Progress measured in small steps.
Learning to Stand (2009–2015)
2010: Smaller Losses Count
Hamilton saw Bangladesh score 408 in their first innings. Their highest against New Zealand.
They still lost by 121 runs. But they batted properly. They made New Zealand work.
The innings defeats stopped.
2013: The Series That Changed Everything
Chittagong, October 2013. Bangladesh scored 501. Five hundred and one runs against New Zealand.
Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mominul Haque batted as they belonged. New Zealand replied with 469. The match ended in a draw.
Mirpur was also drawn. Bangladesh didn’t lose a series to New Zealand for the first time.
This wasn’t luck. This was a skill.
Still Learning (2016–2021)
2017: Back to Reality in New Zealand
Wellington and Christchurch reminded Bangladesh that winning away remained tough.
Lost both Tests. But the margins were smaller. Bangladesh scored 217, 161, 289, and 226 across four innings. No collapses under 150.
They competed harder. They just couldn’t finish.
2019: Pain and Tragedy
Hamilton and Wellington brought more losses. Both by innings.
The Christchurch Test never happened. The mosque shooting tragedy stopped cricket.
Bangladesh’s tour ended in sadness.
The Miracle Year (2022)
Mount Maunganui: January 1-5, 2022
Day one felt normal. New Zealand 258/5. Devon Conway batted well.
Day two changed the script. New Zealand all out 328. Bangladesh’s openers survived. Shadman Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy batted all day.
Day three shocked everyone. Bangladesh kept batting. Joy made 78. Shanto scored 64. Mominul hit 88. Liton Das smashed 86.
Bangladesh were 458 all out. A 130-run lead in New Zealand. Against New Zealand.
Day four brought pressure. New Zealand fought back. Ross Taylor scored 40 in his final Mount Maunganui innings. But Ebadot Hossain kept striking.
Ebadot Hossain. Remember that name. His Test average was 81.54 before this match. Eighty-one point five four.
Day five lasted 30 minutes. Ebadot finished with 6/46. Taskin Ahmed took 3/36. New Zealand all out 169.
Bangladesh needed 40 runs. They scored 42/2 before lunch.
Eight-wicket victory. First Test win against New Zealand. First win in New Zealand ever. First away win against a top-five team.
Twitter exploded. The cricket world couldn’t believe it.
Christchurch: January 9-11, 2022
New Zealand answered immediately. Tom Latham scored 252. Devon Conway made 109. Declared at 521/6.
Bangladesh 126 and 278. Lost by innings and 117 runs in three days.
Series ended 1-1. But Bangladesh had proven its point.
Recent Times (2023–2025)
2023 ODI Series in New Zealand
Bangladesh lost the first two ODIs. Dunedin by 44 runs. Nelson by 7 wickets.
Napier brought redemption. Bangladesh won by 9 wickets. Their first ODI win in New Zealand.
The pattern continued. Fight hard. Win occasionally. Show up consistently.
2025 Champions Trophy
Rawalpindi saw the teams meet again. New Zealand won by 5 wickets in the group stage.
Bangladesh competed but lost. The gap still exists in white-ball cricket.
Bangladesh vs New Zealand Head-to-Head Stats
Tests: The Numbers
19 matches played. New Zealand won 14. Bangladesh won 2. Three draws.
Home/Away Split:
- In Bangladesh: 6 matches, 0 BAN wins, 3 NZ wins, 3 draws
- In New Zealand: 13 matches, 2 BAN wins, 11 NZ wins, 0 draws
Bangladesh performs better at home (draws vs losses). But their wins came in New Zealand. Strange but true.
ODIs: Still Struggling
46 matches. New Zealand has 34 wins. Bangladesh has 11 wins. One no result.
Bangladesh wins mostly at home. Away wins are rare. The Napier 2023 victory was just their second ODI win in New Zealand.
T20Is: Dominated
20 matches. New Zealand has 15 wins. Bangladesh has 4 wins. One no result.
T20 cricket hasn’t helped Bangladesh much. The format’s unpredictability gives them occasional wins. Nothing more.
Record Books: Key Stats
Highest Scores (Tests)
- New Zealand: 553/7d (Hamilton 2010)
- Bangladesh: 501 (Chittagong 2013)
Lowest Scores (Tests)
- New Zealand: 169 (Mount Maunganui 2022)
- Bangladesh: 108 (Hamilton 2001)
Individual Brilliance
- Highest innings: Tom Latham 252 (Christchurch 2022)
- Best bowling: Ebadot Hossain 6/46 (Mount Maunganui 2022)
Players Who Shaped This Rivalry
Bangladesh’s Warriors
- Shakib Al Hasan didn’t just play against New Zealand. He fought them. Over 800 Test runs and 30+ wickets. His all-round skills kept Bangladesh competitive when others failed.
- Mushfiqur Rahim batted for survival. He ground out runs when Bangladesh needed time. His technique worked in tough conditions.
- Ebadot Hossain transformed from liability to hero. One spell in Mount Maunganui erased years of failure.
New Zealand’s Dominators
- Trent Boult swung the ball and took wickets. Simple. Effective. Deadly. 40+ wickets against Bangladesh across formats.
- Ross Taylor played his last Test against Bangladesh. He scored consistently and represented an era of New Zealand dominance.
- Tom Latham scored that 252 in Christchurch. But more importantly, he showed up every series with runs.
Why Bangladesh Struggled for So Long?
Technical Gaps
Bangladesh’s batters learned cricket on slow, turning pitches. New Zealand’s pitches bounce. The ball swings.
Their footwork didn’t adjust. They played late. They edged. They got beaten for pace.
Mental Scars
Losing 32 consecutive matches in New Zealand creates doubt. Every tour started with “How badly will we lose?”
The 2022 win erased that. Players now know they can win there.
Pace Bowling Weakness
For years, Bangladesh couldn’t take 20 wickets in New Zealand. Their pace bowlers weren’t good enough.
Ebadot and Taskin changed that. They learned reverse swing. They learned patience.
What’s Next for BAN vs NZ?
Bangladesh won’t dominate New Zealand. But they’ll compete.
Their pace of attack improved. Batters gained confidence. The mental barrier broke.
Expect more tight series. Expect Bangladesh to win occasionally in New Zealand.
Expect New Zealand to win most matches but not all.
The rivalry entered a new phase. Competitive, not one-sided.
FAQs
- When did Bangladesh beat New Zealand for the first time?
January 5, 2022, at Mount Maunganui. Test win by 8 wickets. Twenty-one years after their first meeting.
- Who has the better record?
New Zealand dominates all formats. Tests 14-2, ODIs 34-11, T20Is 15-4.
- Did Bangladesh ever win in New Zealand?
Yes. Test win at Mount Maunganui (2022) and ODI win at Napier (2023). Both historic firsts.
- What was Bangladesh’s biggest win?
Eight wickets at Mount Maunganui (2022). Their only big margin is against New Zealand.
- Can Bangladesh compete now?
Yes. The 2022 win proved they can beat New Zealand anywhere. The gap closed significantly.
- Who took the most wickets in this rivalry?
Trent Boult (New Zealand) with 40+ wickets. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) with 30+ Test wickets.
Conclusion: From Punchline to Competitor
The Bangladesh national cricket team vs New Zealand national cricket team timeline isn’t just about matches. It’s about growth.
2001, Bangladesh would’ve lost to 2022 Bangladesh by innings. The improvement is that dramatic.
New Zealand still leads 14-2 in Tests, 34-11 in ODIs, and 15-4 in T20Is. The numbers show dominance.
But numbers don’t tell the full story. Bangladesh fights now. They win sometimes. They believe always.
That’s the real timeline. From hopeless to hopeful.
