Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 1st T20I - Preview, Predicted XIs, Match Prediction, Weather Forecast and Pitch Report

Bangladesh and New Zealand are set to lock horns in the first match of the five-match T20I series on Wednesday, September 1 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

The Tigers, led by Mahmudullah, must be brimming with confidence after beating Australia 4-1 in the five-match T20Is. In fact, they sealed the fate of the series in quick time, having won the first three games of the series. In the final game of the series, they bowled the Aussies out for 62.

The hosts, meanwhile, have been bolstered by the return of Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim. Although they are yet to beat the Black Caps in T20Is, Bangladesh seem to have the upper hand. The Kiwis, on the other hand, don’t have a whole lot of experience at their disposal.

No member of the squad will be a part of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Tom Latham will be in charge of the team for the tour. Earlier this year, they beat the Tigers in a T20I series at home. However, playing in Bangladesh will pose a different challenge to them altogether.

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Match Details

Match: Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 1st T20I

Date: September 1, 2021 (Wednesday)

Time: 05:30 PM IST.

Venue: Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.

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Weather Report

Clouds will be there throughout the duration of the game with chances of rain. The temperature will be around the 30-degree Celsius mark. The humidity will be in the high-70s.

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Pitch Report

The pitch in Dhaka is expected to be slow and low. The track during the series between Bangladesh and Australia wasn’t easy for batting. The spinners are again expected to come into play. Batting first should be the way forward.

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Predicted Playing XI

Bangladesh

With the return of Liton, one of Naim Shaikh and Soumya Sarkar may have to warm the bench. Shakib won the Player of the Series award against Australia and he should be high on confidence. Mustafizur Rahman was a tough nut to crack for the Aussies and the Kiwis may not find him easy to counter.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Naim Shaikh/Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Shamim Hossain Patwary, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam

New Zealand

Finn Allen and Tom Latham are most likely to open the batting. The middle-order doesn’t have a whole lot of experience. Two spinners, Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra, should get a chance in the playing eleven. The likes of Grandhomme, Bracewell and Henry need to bring their experience to the fore.

Predicted XI: Finn Allen, Tom Latham (c and wk), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Rachin Ravindra, Scott Kuggelejin, Ajaz Patel, Doug Bracewell/Hamish Bennett, Matt Henry

Match Prediction

New Zealand don’t have experience in their squad and Bangladesh are a brute force in home conditions. Bangladesh should win the opening match of the series.

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Broadcast Details

TV: N/A

Live Streaming: Fancode