Bangladesh vs New Zealand 2nd T20I Prediction, Preview, Odds

• Bangladesh registered their maiden T20I win against New Zealand on Wednesday, 1st September.
• After the Aussies struggled to score runs at Mirpur recently, the Kiwi batters have also been given a run for their money. Their total of 60 was the lowest score by New Zealand in T20I cricket.
• The average score against the Bangladeshi bowling attack in the last six T20Is at Mirpur is only 95.5, with the spinners having a field day in every game.

Bangladesh vs New Zealand Odds

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Bangladesh vs New Zealand Prediction and Pick

Prior to the last match, the head-to-head record was massively inclined in favor of the Blackcaps, who had won 10 consecutive T20I matches against the Tigers. However, Bangladesh has now made it 10-1, and New Zealand’s humungous lead is expected to deplete further in this series, as their inexperienced batters are looking out of ideas against the Bangladeshi spinners on this rank turner of a track.

Our Pick:

Bangladesh to Win

Predicted XI

Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed

New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, Will Young, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham (c & wk), Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Doug Bracewell/Scott Kuggeleijn, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner/Ben Sears, Matt Henry

Can the Inexperienced New Zealand Batters Adapt to the Conditions?

What we saw in the first T20I can be considered as a meek surrender by the Kiwi batting unit, but that being said, it also has to be noted that the conditions at the Shere Bangla National Stadium are extremely harsh on the batters.

Every spinner, from both camps, is extracting sharp turn from the surface, and while the Bangladeshi batters are acclimatized to the conditions, the Kiwis have perhaps not dealt with anything of this sort previously. Hence, the key for them will be to adapt to the conditions as soon as they can.

Questions will also be raised on the approach of the New Zealand batters. Playing out the first few overs without taking too many risks is what a team should aim for on this track, but the Blackcaps lost 4 wickets with just 9 runs on the board in the last match.

Henry Nicholls and Tom Latham did put up a fight, and their 34-run fifth-wicket partnership proved once again that taking singles without consuming too many dot balls is how a batter can find joy on this track. Together, Latham and Nicholls scored 36 runs, of which only 8 runs came from boundaries.

Team News

There is no reason for Bangladesh to make changes to their winning combination. All eleven players played their part to perfection in the last match, and hence, skipper Mahmudullah is expected to field the same XI in the second T20I. The visitors, however, might consider Plan B, now that Plan A has failed badly. Scott Kuggeleijn, who has played 16 T20I matches for the Kiwis, might be included in the playing XI. Blair Tickner bowled only one over in the last match, and Tom Latham might consider giving young pacer Ben Sears his maiden cap for New Zealand.

Key Players

Shakib Al Hasan: Shakib Al Hasan was Bangladesh’s highest run-scorer and also the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the T20I series against Australia, and he has started this series from where he left the last one. First up with the ball, the veteran all-rounder dismissed Will Young and Cole McConchie, conceding only 10 runs in his four overs. He then came to bat at a difficult situation, as New Zealand dismissed both Bangladeshi openers inside the first three overs. His knock of 25 runs from 33 deliveries made the visitors relinquish whatever little hopes they had of turning the tables on Bangladesh.

Henry Nicholls: A T20I average of less than 10 is not what one would expect from a batter playing for the New Zealand national team, but Henry Nicholls will be the Blackcaps’ trump card in this series, as he is one of the very few batters in their current squad who is good against spin. Nicholls scored 18 runs in the last match – joint-highest for New Zealand alongside Tom Latham. Across all three formats, Latham has an average of over 30 in Asia, while his average is only 25.37 in Europe. He also seems to be at the top of his game whenever Tom Latham is the captain, as his average under Latham’s captaincy is 74.

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