CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) Opener Tom Latham scored a career-best 137 and Colin Munro dashed 87 from 61 balls in a 158-run partnership which lifted New Zealand to 341-7 batting first in the first one-day cricket international against Bangladesh on Monday.
Latham raised his second century in one-day internationals with a six off Taskin Ahmed from the 100th ball of his innings and went on to beat his previous-best ODI score of 110.
Munro also posted his highest score in one-day matches, reaching his half century with a six off Taskan and surpassing his 85 against Bangladesh in 2013
The pair helped New Zealand recover from a brief loss of momentum in the middle overs to match its highest ODI total on Hagley Oval and to post its highest score in all one-day internationals against Bangladesh.
Latham almost carried his bat through the innings, falling in the 48th over. He achieved a strike rate of 113, though only 52 of his runs came from boundaries - seven fours and four sixes.
While his position in the New Zealand lineup probably wasn't in doubt, Latham might have felt under pressure to produce a big score when he walked to the crease with opening partner Martin Guptill.
His last 15 innings in one-day internationals yielded only two half centuries and his only previous century, against Zimbabwe, came in August, 2015.
Guptill was typically more aggresive at the start of the innings, hitting the first of the nine sixes and 24 fours included in the New Zealand total. He was again out early for 15 and Latham continued to play a supportive role, first to his captain Kane Williamson who made 31.
The loss of Williamson at 79, then the relatively quick and similar dismissals of Neil Broom (22) and James Neesham (12) left New Zealand 158-4 a little behind a par score near the middle of its innings. Latham was forced to become more assertive from that point.
Bangladesh captain Masrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, who made a strong return after a five-month layoff for shoulder surgery, bowled some good overs through the mid-innings period, temporarily arresting New Zealand's scoring rate.
But Munro would not be held down and he launched New Zealand towards its formidable total with a half century from 44 balls in an innings which included eight fours and four sixes.
Latham played the ball expertly into the gaps to keep the score mounting and took a heavy toll of the Bangladesh bowlers when they fell short of a good length.
The fifth-wicket partnership which supported New Zealand's total ended when Munro was caught at point by Taskin off Shakib's bowling in the 47th over. Latham followed only six balls later, caught by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim from Mustafizur when New Zealand was 323-6.
Shakib took 3-69, trapping both Broom and Neesham with deceptively full deliveries which hurried onto the batsmen as they played from the back foot.
