New Zealand tour of Bangladesh 2021 News

New Zealand batsmen have not been able to find a way around Bangladesh spinners to come at the top of the game but they also had quality spinners in their rank to stage a comeback in the five-match series. They unleashed their spin duo of Ajaz Patel and Cole McConchie to stop the hosts from getting an unassailable lead in the series. Chasing a target of 126 runs, which have been proven to be stiff to get on pitches in the country, Bangladesh were blown away at 77 runs after a decent start against the new ball. Ajaz Patel was their tormentor in chief by picking a four-wicket haul while the off-spinner McConchie provided excellent support with a three-wicket haul. The right-armer started the rough ride for the hosts and Patel made life terrible for them with the big wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah to not allow them a breathing space in the middle order. In the end, there was no one to rescue the hosts and the spin twins shared seven wickets between them to leave Bangladesh on the mat and helped the Blackcaps win the first game of the series. Earlier, the Blackcaps too did not have a great start in the first innings with the bat as Fin Allen was done in by Mustafizur, who had not had a great game in the second game of the series. Then, the partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Will Young stabilised New Zealand. However, before they could take the game away from the hosts, Mohammad Saifuddin struck twice and halted their momentum in the middle phase of the game. With half of the side back to the pavilion and a series loss in sight at the halfway stage of the game, Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell batted with a risk-free approach to take the tourists to a respectable total. The win by New Zealand has opened up the series in a cracking way and has also asked some questions of the Bangladesh batting group, whose failures were getting brushed under the carpet with the domination of opposition batsmen by the spinners so far in the series.

New Zealand certainly got something to cheer about when they finally got some runs under their belt on this tour of Bangladesh in the second T20I in Dhaka. Though, this wasn’t really enough to help them equalise the five-match bilateral tie. The visitors missed out on what could have been a satisfactory win by just 4 runs in this second clash. Batting first, Bangladesh were off to a steady start after the openers Naim and Liton Das who had failed in the first game got back among runs and stitched a stand of 59 runs for the first wicket. The New Zealand bowlers though got themselves back into the hunt and picked up some wickets at regular intervals to reduce the side to 109/5. But Mahmudullah and Nurul Hasan made sure that the hosts reached a defendable total. Bangladesh eventually managed to put 141/6 in the allotted 20 overs. On some other day and on a different track, this target would have been an easy task but not on this pitch and especially the way the Kiwis had fared with the bat in the last clash. In fact, they didn’t really have a great start to the proceedings in the second match as well after once again spinners did the trick for them and scalped some early wickets during the course. While Latham held the fort from one end, he didn’t really find much support from the other and the Blackcaps lost the second match of the series on the trot. But the visitors did have some positives to take away from their last outing and that was not surrendering on a strip that didn’t really have anything on offer for the batting unit. Match Details Match: BAN vs NZ, 3rd T20I, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh, 2021 Date: Sunday, September 05, 2021 Time: 3:30 PM Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka Telecast: FanCode App Pitch Report The pitch in Dhaka is expected to have something on offer for the bowlers, especially spinners. This was evident in the first game while the spinners did dominate in the second as well. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat. Team News Bangladesh: The Bangladesh openers who failed to leave a mark in the first match gave a solid start to the team in the second. The spinners have been in good form for the hosts while Mustafizur Rahman went for some runs in the second match but is still an integral part of this setup. The left-arm bowler’s ability to bowl slow, back of the hand deliveries have become a highlight in the recent past and he has been getting wickets as well. New Zealand: Finn Allen and Matt Henry will be available for selection in this match. Henry had come into the side as Allen’s replacement initially. Allen had tested positive for Covid-19 upon his arrival in Dhaka earlier which subsequently forced the management to call Henry. But the right-handed batsman later returned two negative tests. The visitors are likely to tweak the final XI for this game. Probable XI Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Nurul Hasan (wk), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tom Latham (capt & wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Doug Bracewell, Ajaz Patel, Hamish Bennett, Matt Henry Fantasy XI Nurul-Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tom Latham, Liton Das, Will Young, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Rachin Ravindra (VC), Cole McConchi, Mustafizur Rahman, Ajaz Patel

With 20 runs needed off the last ball and Mustafizur Rahman bowling it, he would be backed against even the best in the business. Only this time though, the Fizz was bowling against two players not rated so highly for their T20 attributes, Tom Latham and newbie Cole McConchie. Thus it was more or less confirmed that he would win this for Bangladesh, the first four balls went according to plan as well as the cutter master gave away only seven runs and now 13 runs were needed for a win off the last two balls. What transpired after that was unbelievable. Fizz bowled a slow ball beamer which went four a four after hitting a raised bat of Latham. The Kiwi captain, who by then had hit 64 runs off 48 balls was backing himself to land the free hit into the boundary as now eight runs were required to get from two balls, one of which was to be a free hit. Fizz however had other ideas as he made a strong comeback after the lapse as he bowled a toe crushing yorker to Latham on the free hit which resulted in two leg byes. With six needed off the last ball, Fizz bowled yet another ball in the blockhole which could only be drilled to sweeper square leg for a single. And thus Bangladesh won the second T20I to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The Kiwi chase had not got off to a great start as the first two wickets were lost off 18 runs in the first four overs only. Lathan then teamed up with a comparatively experienced Will Young as the duo added 43 runs to give some semblance to the chase. While Young was removed by Shakib Al Hasan, Latham carried on making meaningful partnerships with Colin de Grandhomme, Henry Nicholls and McConchie respectively to get closer to the target. Shakib and Mahedi Hasan picked two wickets each for Bangladesh. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first. Courtesy of a 59 run opening stand where both Liton Das and Mohammad Naim went past 30 for their individual scores, the Tigers managed to get a good start. Although big guns like Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim didn’t fire, skipper Mahmudullah and Nurul Hasan with their 32 run partnership off 22 balls managed to get the green brigade to 141 in their 20 overs. Mahmudulah top-scored with 37 from 32 balls. Rachin Ravindra was the pick of the bowlers for Ne Zealand as he took three wickets for 22 runs in his four-over spell. The two teams will now come back on Sunday, 05th September to play the third match at the same venue of Sher-E-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka.

New Zealand’s new recruit Rachin Ravindra had said that keeping the scoring rate to six an over against a spinner can be treated as a good result in Bangladesh ahead of the first T20I of the five-match series between the two teams. “Maybe getting six runs per over is a good result here whereas in New Zealand facing a spinner if you are taking 8-10 runs then that is a good result,'' Ravindra had said. The left-handed cricketer who made his debut for New Zealand in the first clash against Bangladesh was on spot with his observation but the visitors certainly missed the trick that the youngster had pointed out and recorded their lowest total in T20Is after getting bundled out for 60 in the 17th over. This was the second time that the Blackcaps had been dismissed for 60 as it had happened earlier against Sri Lanka in Chattogram back in 2014. Well, it wasn’t just about the forgettable records but the dismal show with the bat by the Kiwis in the first game. The majority of the batsmen failed to negotiate the spinners. While the New Zealand team didn’t really look comfortable against the spin bowlers and the slowish nature of the pitch, the hosts were also in a spot of bother in the beginning of the chase. It was the experienced duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim that helped them come out of tricky situations. The visitors have a lot of work to do before they come out in the middle in the second T20I while Bangladesh too need to make some tweaks as they didn’t get a stable start in the first encounter. Match Details Match:BAN vs NZ, 2nd T20I, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh, 2021 Date: Friday, September 03, 2021 Time: 3:30 PM Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka Pitch Report The pitch in Dhaka helped the spinners in the first match between the two sides. The batsmen had a tough time negotiating the spin and the runs never looked easy to come. So, if you win the toss, elect to field and try to restrict the opposition for a lesser total. Team News Bangladesh: The Bangladesh bowling line up looked pretty solid as they produced a brilliant show in the first match. Apart from this, Mushfiqur Rahim who returned back in the squad for this series showed his class and stitched a responsible and important partnership with Shakib to help the side in a critical time. The hosts are unlikely to make any changes in the XI. New Zealand: Despite suffering a thumping defeat in the first match, New Zealand received some good news on Thursday. Finn Allen, who had tested positive for Covid-19 upon his arrival in Dhaka has returned with two negative tests and will now join back the team bubble, New Zealand Cricket said on Thursday. Though, Allen’s availability for the selection is still not confirmed. Apart from him, Matt Henry who was called in as a replacement for Allen is in the final day of his three-day hotel isolation. He too will be joining the team on Friday pending a negative test for Covid-19. Bangladesh’s key players Shakib and Rahim showed their class with the bat as the two were not just among runs but they chipped in with some responsible runs. Other than the batsmen, Mustafizur Rahman’s usage of slower deliveries has been doing wonders for him since the IPL. The left-arm pacer has deceived the batsmen quite efficiently and has been picking up wickets consistently. New Zealand bank on youngsters Rachin Ravindra might have failed with the bat but he has the ability to get back on track quickly. In the last innings too, the left-hander was dismissed not because of an ambitious stroke but was deceived by Mahedi Hasan after he closed the face of the bat early while trying to work a length delivery towards the on side. He just needs to stay at the crease and rotate the strike as much as he can which would help in keeping the scoreboard moving. Ajaz Patel-The trump Card Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel can be the player for New Zealand who can fetch wickets for them in the early stage of the innings. The spinner would have help on offer from the track while the kind of flight he generates can help him get that extra turn on these kinds of wickets. Probable XI Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (w), Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, Will Young, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham (w/c), Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Doug Bracewell, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy Fantasy XI Mushfiqur Rahim, Tom Latham, Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Mahmudullah, Henry Nicholls, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Cole McConchie, Mustafizur Rahman (VC), Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner

New Zealand batsman Finn Allen who had tested positive for Covid-19 after reaching Dhaka has now returned two negative tests and will now join back the team bubble, New Zealand Cricket said on Thursday. Allen’s availability for selection is still not confirmed. "It's great for us. He has been a big part of our squad," New Zealand head coach Glenn Poknall said. "Hopefully, he will come as soon as possible but he will have to undergo a couple of (fitness) tests. He will definitely come into consideration, it's just a matter of when. He is physically fit but we need to assess on what game he comes into the team,'' he said. Meanwhile, Matt Henry who had been called in as the replacement for Allen is in the final day of the three-day hotel isolation and will join the team on Friday pending negative test for Covid-19. The Blackcaps suffered a thumping defeat in the first T20I of the five-match series against Bangladesh after the visitors were bowled out for 60. The hosts then chased down the target by 7 wickets with five overshot spare. The two sides will now face each other in the second T20I scheduled to take place on Friday at the same venue.

Bangladesh once again produced a clinical performance with the ball against New Zealand in the first T20I of the five-match series after they bundled out the Kiwis for 60 in Dhaka. All-rounder Shakib al Hasan has now said that the track during the first clash against the Blackcaps was a more difficult one in comparison to what they got during the series against Australia. "I think the wicket is more difficult than what we got in the series against Australia," Shakib pointed out. "Yet I think that we have bowled very well, bowled in the right areas. And as the New Zealand were not very experienced in such conditions, they struggled a lot,” he added. Shakib further said that rotating the strike was the key to score runs. "It is very important to pick as many singles as you can, one should focus on running between the wickets because hitting boundaries are very difficult here," he said. The home side went 1-0 up in the series after chasing a meagre target of 61 runs by 7 wickets and 5 overs to spare. Bangladesh did suffer a couple of early blows during the chase but Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim steadied the ship for the side as the left-right batting duo put up a partnership of 30 runs for the third wicket which was enough to provide the resistance. Later, Rahim and Mahmudullah who came in at number five made sure that there were no further fall of wickets and took the team over the line.