Bangladesh and New Zealand are set to clash in the second T20I of their three-match series on Wednesday in Chattogram. Riding a wave of success, Bangladesh carry both momentum and form after a commanding performance in the opener. The Tigers have taken a 1-0 lead and now have a golden opportunity to seal a rare series victory against New Zealand. The opening match showed Bangladesh’s confidence and positive approach.
Chasing a challenging target of 183, Bangladesh displayed great intent and composure, coming out with an all-round show to down New Zealand. The six-wicket win was also a statement of evolution in their white-ball philosophy. The same stability will be crucial in the second encounter as well. However, Bangladesh will also look for stronger starts from their top order batters in order to reduce the burden on the middle order and allow the side to dictate the innings.
On the other hand, New Zealand would need to maintain a fearless approach to bounce back and keep the series alive. Their batters performed up to the expectations, with Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver smashing 51 each. The problem lies with their bowlers, who failed to restrain Bangladesh batters from causing damage.
Head-to-head
Matches - 21
BAN won - 5
NZ won - 15
No result - 1
BAN possible XI: Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (c&wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Ripon Mondol
NZ possible XI: Tim Robinson, Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver (wk), Nick Kelly (c), Bevon Jacobs, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Matt Fisher, Ben Lister