Bangladesh and New Zealand have it all to play for as they lock horns at Cardiff for the ninth match of ICC Champions Trophy 2017. The former escaped defeat against the Australians courtesy the rain while the Kiwis, who were denied a victory against Australia by rain, lost to England by a fairly huge margin.
Given the current form of Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh will look to put pressure on the Kiwi attack, which has looked lacklustre except for Adam Milne, who has been exceptional. Corey Anderson was also amongst the wickets against England but the Kiwis might just ponder the inclusion of Jeetan Patel for Mitchell Santner to tackle southpaws Soumya Sarkar, Tamim and Shakib.
New Zealand's batting isn't without its problems either with only Kane Williamson making consistent contributions. Luke Ronchi's McCullum-like approach backfired against England while Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor haven't given their skipper enough company. If New Zealand are to qualify they need to put up a good score on the board.
Here are five players that will be keenly watched in the encounter at Cardiff.
#5 Mustafizur Rehman
The tricky left-hand seamer could be Bangladesh's key weapon against Williamson. Williamson and Mustafizur both play for Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Bangladesh pacer will know Williamson well enough to try and coax him into a mistake.
Mustafizur hasn't yet set the Champions Trophy alight but has been Bangladesh's most consistent seamer. His cutters and slower variations have made it extremely difficult to get him away. Expect the Fizz to get quite a few overs at the death when the batsmen look to dominate. New Zealand will have to work out a good ploy to tackle Mustafizur if they are to put on a fighting score.
Record against New Zealand
Matches - 4, Wickets - 7, BBI - 2/32, Avg - 24.71
#4 Luke Ronchi
Ronchi is yet to get accustomed to his new role as an opener. There is a definite McCullum characteristic in his batting at the top of the order and while that might be a good idea with someone like Tom Latham at the other end, with Martin Guptill adopting an equally aggressive approach, New Zealand are missing a solid opener.
Ronchi proved his doubters wrong with a superb innings against Australia that could well have won the game for the Kiwis. However, he departed for a duck in the game against England and the Bangladesh game might make or break Ronchi's stint at the top. Watch out for another slog-fest.
Record against Bangladesh
Matches - 7, Runs - 91, HS - 35, Avg - 18.20
#3 Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur Rahim played a handy role alongside Tamim Iqbal when Bangladesh racked up a 300+ total against England in the opener. However, against Australia, Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa wreaked havoc in the middle overs with some quality bowling.
New Zealand have some quality bowlers and Rahim will be required to step up and marshall the Bangladesh middle-order. The wicket-keeper batsman is their best bet in the middle overs and will be responsible for holding together a vulnerable batting unit. If Mushfiqur can do the job well, Bangladesh might just upstage the Kiwis at Cardiff.
Record against New Zealand
Matches - 21, Runs - 502, HS - 90, Avg - 29.52
#2 Kane Williamson
The New Zealand skipper is one of the best batsmen in modern day cricket and has been in superb form in this tournament. He followed up a big hundred against Australia with a handy 87 in the game against England. Not one to be stifled by expectations or pressure, Williamson is the fulcrum around which the Kiwi batting revolves.
With an exceptional record, Williamson will be tasked with taking New Zealand to the semi-finals. They narrowly missed out on beating Australia in the opener and a loss here would seal their fate. That said, Williamson will be confident of getting the better of Bangladesh at Cardiff.
Record against Bangladesh
Matches - 7, Runs - 249, HS - 108, Avg - 49.80
#1 Tamim Iqbal
Tamim narrowly missed out on consecutive hundreds by falling agonisingly short against Australia in Bangladesh's second match of the tournament. He has been in terrific form ever since the 2015 World Cup and is the sub-continent side's biggest hope going into the Cardiff game.
While Tamim has been exceptional in terms of accumulating the runs, he has been a tad bit slow with his strike rate which, although a harsh criticism, did affect Bangladesh's prospects against England. He was equally slow against the Aussies but with no support from the other end, the innings was justified. Can the belligerent opener get back to his swashbuckling ways?
Record against New Zealand
Matches - 18, Runs - 530, HS - 65, Avg - 29.44
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