At Saxton Oval, Nelson: Bangladesh 291 all out off 49.5 overs (Souyma Sarkar 169 off 151 balls, Mushfiqur Rahim 45 off 57; Will O’Rourke 3-47, Jacob Duffy 3-51) lost to New Zealand 296-3 off 46.2 overs (Henry Nicholls 95 off 99, Will Young 89 off 94, Rachin Ravindra 45 off 33; Hasan Mahmud 2-57) by 7 wickets. Click here for full scoreboard.

Spare a thought for Soumya Sarkar.

The Bangladesh opener produced one of the best ODI hundreds by a visiting player but still walked off Saxton Oval having suffered what was, in reality, a heavy defeat as the Black Caps flexed their collective muscles to maintain their roll.

Soumya’s highest ODI score, a superb 169 off 151 balls that featured 22 of Bangladesh’s 27 fours and 2 of their 4 sixes, singlehandedly propelled the tourists to 291 on another belter of a pitch in Nelson.

But the Black Caps were just never troubled in the chase, winning by seven wickets with almost four overs to spare. It was as comfortable as chases for 292 get.

The result continued an excellent run of home ODI form for New Zealand, sealing their record-equalling seventh successive home series triumph (with a game to spare) and extending their unbeaten run at home to 18 matches.

They also continued their liking for the sunny climes of Nelson, an ODI loss to Sri Lanka in 2015 remaining their only defeat from 11 matches in all formats at Saxton Oval.

Speaking of enjoying Nelson, nobody has done that more than Henry Nicholls. He scored his first ODI hundred at Saxton against Sri Lanka and four years later fell agonisingly short of what would have been his second, out for a 99-ball 95.

Soumya went from the outhouse (scores of 1, 0 and 0 in his last three knocks) to the penthouse, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 4000 people, not just the boisterous pocket of Bangladesh supporters. Quite remarkably given his talent, he’d only passed 33 once in his previous 16 ODI knocks.

It was a brilliant knock but Nicholls, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra had his number, collectively.

The top three for the hosts all contributed in contrasting ways; Ravindra’s 45 off 33 balls kickstarted the innings and he was in ominous touch, lightning quick onto anything remotely short and catching up with anything down leg, a sure sign of good touch.

Young looked in supreme nick all around the park, carrying on from his hundred in game one in Dunedin as he eased his way to 89 before a tame end lobbing a leading edge back to Hasan Mahmud.

And Nicholls, after a slow start, wound into gear, picking his moments to attack and hitting the gaps nicely before holing out in the deep when a century seemed a mere formality. Still, by that stage, the job was done, and he will be delighted after a lean recent run in the five-day format.

Soumya earlier held Bangladesh’s innings together in the first 40 overs, then unleashed in the final 10, after Jacob Duffy and Adam Milne chipped out the top three inside 10 overs.

When Nelson’s Josh Clarkson got a deflection on a straight drive to run Towhid Hridoy out at the bowler’s end, Bangladesh were in some trouble at 80-4 in the 17th.

But Soumya found his only real support in Mushfiqur Rahim, the pair putting on 91 for the fifth wicket to set up the possibility of a surge in the last 10 overs.

And surge they did, scoring 97 before Will O’Rourke snared three wickets – including that of Soumya – in the final over.

Soumya rode his luck; he was dropped in the covers by Rachin Ravindra on 51, albeit a tough chance, and in the same over by Clarkson got an lbw decision overturned on review after the slightest of inside edges.

But the biggest let-off came when, on 92, he miscued a shot off O’Rourke but Young, at backward point, could not pouch the chance despite having quite some time to get under it.

Debutant legspinner Adi Ashok, 21, bowled tidily. His first over in ODI cricket was a maiden, he claimed his first scalp, and while he did not extract much turn, he was accurate. He suffered at the hands of Soumya – he wasn’t alone there, just ask Adam Milne – and finished with 1-63 from his 10 overs.

Duffy impressed in taking 3-51 from his 10, his best effort from five ODIs, and O’Rourke (3-47 from 9.5) would have enjoyed his final over, even if he didn’t exactly show it.

The third and final match in the series is in Napier on Saturday.