Ten days before the start of the T20 World Cup, the Black Caps today produced a batting performance pretty close to the blueprint.
Half-centuries from Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips lifted New Zealand to a total of 208-5 at Hagley Oval, before Adam Milne led a bowling attack that restricted Bangladesh to 160-7.
The 48-run victory saw both the Black Caps and Pakistan qualify for the tri-series final on Friday, giving the Black Caps another chance for invaluable time in the middle ahead of their World Cup opener against Australia.
They will be especially pleased to clash again with a fellow title contender in Pakistan. Bangladesh, who have this year lost twice to Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, fall short of that status.
But regardless of the opposition today, the Black Caps will be buoyed by the way they built a match-winning total.
Their initial attempt to do so in this series was deficient, with the resulting loss to Pakistan followed by a pair of convincing wins while chasing. After being sent in today, however, New Zealand's innings never strayed from their pre-match plan.
"Today was that complete batting performance," Phillips told Spark Sport. "The blueprint that we've got set played out absolutely perfectly."
That started when Finn Allen once more attacked from the opening over, removing fielders from the equation with his ball-striking. The 23-year-old was dismissed in the fifth over but a brisk innings of 32 off 19 showed why he has been preferred to Martin Guptill.
New Zealand's highest T20I runscorer saw his first action of the series at first drop and played his part in an optimal second-wicket stand.
Conway was more aggressive in the partnership of 82 from 54 while Guptill assumed the role of the rested Kane Williamson, scoring 34 from 27 as the Black Caps advanced to 127-2 in the 14th over.
That set the stage for Phillips (60 off 24), who proceeded to close the innings in ideal style. The 25-year-old unleashed with consecutive slog-sweep sixes and flourished in front of the wicket while racing to his sixth T20I half-century in 19 balls.
Phillips dragged on in the final over but, with five sixes, had done enough to earn man of the match, even if he deferred praise to those above him.
"The way Devon batted was absolutely phenomenal," he said. "The partnership he and Gup put on really set up for myself to be able to hit straight from ball one. It just happened to be my day with the bat."
Phillips will need more days like that if the Black Caps wish to repeat their run to last year's World Cup final. And Conway, who missed that match after breaking his hand in the semifinal, is another who seems ready to thrive across the Tasman.
After collecting 119 runs without being dismissed while guiding the last two chases, Conway's timing in setting the pace was impeccable, batting into the 17th over before falling for 64 off 40.
But if the hosts' efforts with the bat were exemplary, their fielding was again well short of that standard.
The tone was set when a sky-high chance from Trent Boult's opening over was allowed to drop between a cluster of fielders mere metres from the pitch. The generally reliable Tim Southee then spilled a tricky chance while a couple of misfields added runs to the Bangladesh tally.
Fortunately for the Black Caps, they had ample on the board, a level of security aided by an encouraging spell from Milne.
The paceman had bowled only two overs in the series while recovering from injury but was instantly effective today, creating a chance from his first delivery before rocking Najmul Hossain Shanto's middle stump with his third.
Milne finished with 3-24 from his full complement and, with Lockie Ferguson on the sidelines, that kind of contribution will be as pleasing as his teammates' batting.
