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New Zealand and Bangladesh are set to lock horns in the first game of the two-match Test series to be played from Saturday, January 1 at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
The Tigers, led by Mominul Haque Showrabh, are yet to open their accounts in the 2021-23 World Test Championship, having lost both their matches against Babar Azam’s Pakistan. Ahead of the upcoming tour, the Asian country don’t have a lot to cheer for.
The Tigers don’t have the services of two of their stalwarts, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, for the tour. Tamim is yet to recover from the thumb injury that he sustained during the Everest Premier League earlier this year. He didn’t play the Tests against Pakistan either.
Shakib was included for the games against the Black Caps but he pulled out of the tour. Mahmudullah Riyad has already retired from Test cricket after he last played against Zimbabwe earlier this year. Without Tamim, Shakib and Riyad, Bangladesh's batting unit looks brittle.
Mushfiqur Rahim, being the team’s most experienced player, needs to step up. Their skipper, Mominul, has scored the highest number of centuries for the Tigers in Test cricket, 11, and he has to be on top of his game. Mustafizur Rahman isn’t a part of the red-ball series either.
In the meantime, Fazle Mahmud has replaced Shakib in the squad. Bangladesh have a disastrous record against the Black Caps in Test cricket, having lost 12 out of 15 games while three matches ended in draws. In New Zealand, the Tigers have lost all of their nine games.
The Kiwis will go into the series after losing 0-1 to India in the two-match Test series. The hosts have also rested Ajaz Patel, who became the third bowler after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble to get a 10-wicket haul in an innings. Tom Latham will be leading the side in Kane Williamson’s absence.
Can Bangladesh beat New Zealand?
The odds are heavily stacked against Bangladesh in the two-match series. Without some of their key players, the Tigers may find it tough to eke out even a draw. The Black Caps will start the series as firm favorites.
It’s pertinent to note that Bangladesh have lost five out of nine Tests in New Zealand by a margin of an innings.
Prediction: New Zealand to win the match.
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