Finished.210/3 (20) - 144/8 (20) |
It was business as usual for New Zealand in the third ODI, as Bangladesh went back to their perpetually dismal form for tours down under. With the 50-over series done and dusted, the teams will now move to the shortest international format of the game. The Black Caps are still the favourites, but the unpredictability of the format might call for some surprises. Bangladesh are still searching for their first win in the country, and they will be desperate, while New Zealand will be professional as ever while also trying out some inexperienced names. Before the two teams face off on the field, let’s take a look at how they stand.
New Zealand
Full T20 squad vs Bangladesh
Tim Southee (c), Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman, Will Young, Todd Astle, Daryl Mitchell, Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips (wk), Hamish Bennett, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi
New Zealand predicted XI for 1st T20 vs Bangladesh
Tim Southee (c), Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips (wk), Mark Chapman, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi
Preview and form
Kane Williamson is still missing from the squad, with debutants Finn Allen and/or Will Young likely to replace him over the course of the series.
Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, and Glenn Phillips will be the main batsmen for the Kiwis.
Southee will once more captain the side for the T20s.
In lieu of Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne will join Tim Southee and Daryl Mitchell to form New Zealand’s famed pace battery, and they will all love the pitch at Seddon Park.
Since being whitewashed by India at home, the Kiwis have bounced back and won their last 3 T20 series and are likely to make it 4.
New Zealand key players for 1st T20 vs Bangladesh
Martin Guptill: New Zealand’s premier power hitter will naturally be an important part of their batting.
Devon Conway: In spectacular form, Conway will be absolutely deadly if left at the crease for some time.
Tim Southee: After skipping out on the ODI series altogether, Southee will be eager to get cracking in the T20s.
Adam Milne: Economical and deadly, this is Milne’s chance to impress the New Zealand board to become a permanent fixture in the side.
Bangladesh
Full T20 squad vs New Zealand
Mahmudullah Riyad (c), Mosaddek Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun (wk), Liton Das (wk), Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Nasum Ahmed.
Bangladesh predicted XI for 1st T20 vs New Zealand
Mahmudullah Riyad (c), Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mohammad Naim, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Mahmud, Rubel Hossain, Nasum Ahmed.
Preview and form
Mahmudullah takes the captaincy from Tamim, who will be absent entirely.
Thanks to his clout, Mushfiqur will most likely stick with wicket-keeping despite dropping multiple crucial catches in the ODI series as well as being poor with the bat.
It’s going to be a tough competition between Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, and Najmul Hossain Shanto as far as making the squad is concerned, with the first two most likely being picked for the first T20 at least.
A similar situation will arise between Hasan Mahmud and Mahedi Hasan with the former winning out due to the pace-favouring pitch, while Mustafizur Rahman’s injury will most likely mean both Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain will play.Â
Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Naim, Nasum Ahmed, Afif Hossain, and Al-Amin Hossain may or may not get a chance to make the starting lineup.
Bangladesh haven’t won a single T20 series against a team that wasn’t an associate nation, Zimbabwe, or the West Indies since beating Pakistan in a one-off in 2015. Definitely not the favourites.
Bangladesh key players for 1st T20 vs New Zealand
Mahmudullah Riyadh: With the captaincy on him, maybe Mahmudullah will do the team a favour by putting himself higher up the batting order.
Liton Das: Despite an unimpressive ODI series, Liton is still one of the most potent batsmen in the side.
Taskin Ahmed: In the ODIs, Taskin showed that he’s matured as a bowler, and we hope he continues to perform in the T20s.
Rubel Hossain: The hero for Bangladesh in many a clutch situation, Rubel will once again need to step up to the challenge.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh head to head
With 7 wins to Bangladesh’s zero, New Zealand are one of the many teams the Tigers haven’t beaten in the T20 format. While Bangladesh certainly have the talent, they just don’t seem to have the firepower. A day may come when this changes, but it will most likely not be during this series.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh 1st T20 pitch report and weather conditions
The pitch at Seddon Park will, like most New Zealand pitches, favour bowlers - especially early on. After the ball gets a little older and the swing gets manageable, the batsmen will love the rest of the innings as long as they can handle the bounce. Teams will most likely look to field first, and the team batting first will look to post at least 170 to be safe.
Sunday is not a good day for cricket in Hamilton. At all. It should rain all night, and well into the afternoon - even when the match is supposed to start. After that, there’s still lingering chances of quick showers here and there. I will be amazed if this match is played in its entirety, and even if it does, the weather will be extremely cold and windy.Â
Can New Zealand continue their by now usual domination over Bangladesh at home? Or will the Tigers make the right pounce on their elusive prey? Find out if our New Zealand versus Bangladesh 1st T20 predictions come true on Sunday!
Match Winner: |
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New Zealand |
Toss: |
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BAN |
NZ Top Batsman: |
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M Guptill |
BAN Top Batsman: |
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M Riyad |
NZ Top Bowler (Wickets): |
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A Milne |
BAN Top Bowler (Wickets): |
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R Hossain |
Players to score a fifty: |
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M Guptill/D Conway (NZ), M Riyadh/L Das (BAN) |
Most fours: |
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NZ |
Most sixes: |
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NZ |