Not something I thought about at all: Kelly on sudden captaincy stint

New Zealand's stand-in captain Nick Kelly said on Saturday that he enjoyed his sudden captaincy stint in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

Kelly, who led the side in Tom Latham's absence due to a toe injury, guided his team to a 1-1 series draw after Bangladesh sealed a six-wicket win in the third T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

"I have loved it. When I got on the plane to come here, captaincy was definitely not something I'd even thought about at all," Kelly said after the series concluded.

"Obviously it is a shame for Tom. To get the chance to lead my country in two T20Is was a massive honour. I may never get to do it again, so I'm just trying to soak it up and really enjoyed it."

Kelly said levelling the series against Bangladesh was a huge confidence booster, especially as most of their first-choice players were unavailable. New Zealand arrived in Dhaka without 18 of their top players due to IPL and PSL commitments.

"I think this time of year with those two big tournaments, there's always going to be guys given the freedom to play in those leagues, which builds depth. It's great to give younger or more inexperienced guys opportunities to play international cricket," said Kelly.

"There are a few guys here who put their hand up. When you do get a shot, you have to score runs and take wickets. I think there's been a couple of guys who have done that."

Kelly praised Josh Clarkson and Bevon Jacobs for helping the team end the tour positively.

Bevon Jacobs struck an unbeaten 62 off 31 balls after Josh Clarkson took 3 for 9 to help New Zealand dismiss Bangladesh for 102 in 14.2 overs, after the match was reduced to 15 overs due to rain.

"I thought Josh was exceptional. His plans were very clear and he executed beautifully," said Kelly.

"Bev is a very clean ball striker. We see him in the nets training hard. He hits the ball a long way. It was cool to see him and Dean Foxcroft navigate a tough period."

"I think it puts pressure on the guys previously in the team but also builds great depth. When those guys are unavailable again, the ones who come in will have the confidence they've done it before," he concluded.