New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears
New Zealand have won the toss and have opted to field
12:00 Local Time, 23:00 GMT, 04:30 IST: It’s the New Year’s eve and both New Zealand and Bangladesh will have a shot to finish 2023 on a high note! For the visitors, the motivation is a big one as they aim to win their first T20I series in New Zealand. Bangladesh are on a high, courtesy their powerful showings off late. After winning their first ever ODI in New Zealand, they also notched up their maiden T20I win against the Kiwis in their own backyard. Incessant rains resulted in a washout in the previous game though and that has meant that the visitors can’t lose the series. In the 11 overs that Bangladesh bowled, they looked quite disciplined. Their bowlers have been incisive and they played a pivotal role in the first T20I. They made sure that the hosts couldn’t rise above a paltry total. Then, it was Litton Das who dropped anchor. Along with a few handy contributions from the middle order, the opener guided his side to a historic victory. The Kiwis, on the other hand, need to bring their A game to the fore. Their batters need to rise to the occasion. They do have the firepower but need to click as a unit. Can the Kiwis bounce back in style and level the series? Or will Bangladesh continue their winning momentum and get their first ever T20I series win in New Zealand? All to play for and a cracker awaits us! Toss and team lineups will be announced in a while...
Preview
A rained-out affair on December 29 in Mount Maunganui ensured that Bangladesh cannot lose the T20I series against New Zealand, which means they will end 2023 without a single T20I series loss immaterial of the result on Sunday. But they will look beyond that as they chase their first-ever T20I series win in New Zealand in the hopes of ending the year on a high.
In a year where they exited the Asia Cup early and performed below par in the ODI World Cup, their growth in the T20I format has been a positive for Bangladesh. Having secured bilateral T20I series wins against England, Ireland and Afghanistan, and finishing with the bronze medal in the Asian Games by defeating Pakistan with a second-string side, Bangladesh will be hoping to round off their T20I success with the scalp of New Zealand. The hosts, meanwhile, will be hoping for a strong comeback and prevent Bangladesh from creating a historic moment for themselves in the 20-over format.
The batting let New Zealand down in both their first-ever ODI loss and their maiden T20I loss to Bangladesh at home. Getting bowled out for 98 and then being restricted to 134/9, New Zealand got to 72/2 in the second T20I before rain played spoilsport. But there were some moments of struggle for New Zealand in the second game too, with Finn Allen falling early and Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips not able to get on with the scoring.
The Black Caps will be hoping for an improved showing with the bat while Bangladesh will reflect on their strong bowling performances in the recent games in their bid to sign off 2023 with their fourth bilateral T20I series win.
When: Sunday, December 31, 2023, 1:00 PM Local Time
Where: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
What to expect: The forecast is for bright skies with temperatures in the early 20s. The pitch has been helpful for the batters in the past, especially in the first innings - there have been five 190-plus totals in the first innings here, with two of them being 238 and 243.
Team news:
New Zealand: The hosts might go in with an unchanged eleven, although there is a case for Rachin Ravindra to make the eleven considering their recent batting struggles.
Probable XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears
Bangladesh: Litton Das was ruled out of the previous game due to a knee injury, with Shamim Hossain replacing him. If the wicketkeeper-batter hasn't made sufficient recovery, Bangladesh are likely to stick to the same eleven they fielded for the second game.
New Zealand Squad: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy
Bangladesh Squad: Soumya Sarkar, Rony Talukdar(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam
Bangladesh
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