Bangladesh vs New Zealand, BAN vs NZ, Today Match Prediction 28 November 2023

BAN vs NZ Match Prediction & Analysis

New Zealand are all set to begin their Test tour of Bangladesh this week. The two teams will clash in two Tests, the first of which will be played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from the 28th of November. The Kiwis have a great record against the Tigers in the longest format. However, Bangladesh are a force to reckon with at home and will certainly pose a formidable challenge.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

BAN

W

BAN

382/10 in 86.0 4.44

BAN vs AFG

Bangladesh won by 546 runs

14 Jun 2023

AFG

425/4 in 80.0 5.31

NZ

W L

NZ

209/10 in 53.2 3.92

NZ VS ENG

New Zealand won by 1 run

24 Feb 2023

ENG

483/10 in 162.3 2.97

NZ

306/10 in 82.5 3.69

NZ VS ENG

England won by 267 runs

16 Feb 2023

ENG

126/10 in 45.3 2.77

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Bangladesh Preview

Bangladesh gave a forgettable performance in the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship, ending up right at the bottom of the standings. So, they have a lot to prove as they begin the new WTC cycle. 

This year, the Bangla Tigers have played two Tests and won both by handsome margins – by 7 wickets against Ireland and by 546 runs against Afghanistan. 

Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the side in this series and will be looking to stamp his authority. Shanto has played 23 Tests so far, and averages 29.83 with four centuries.

The batting will depend a lot on Mushfiqur Rahim in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, who are unavailable for the series. The experienced wicket-keeper batter averages 40 at home with six hundreds and 16 half centuries.

Bangladesh’s main strength at home is always their bowling. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, of course, will be their main man to watch out for. The bowling all-rounder has a golden arm and will pose a serious challenge to the Kiwi batters. Miraz has taken a whopping 89 wickets in just 19 home Tests at an average of 24.40. Then there is the ever-reliable Taijul Islam. The two spinners are likely to bowl a lot of overs in tandem. 

Bangladesh Predicted Playing XI:

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shan Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Murad

Bangladesh Actual Playing XI:

Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Shahadat Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Zakir Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Nayeem Hasan

New Zealand Preview

New Zealand will have a task in their hands as they gear up to face the Bangladeshi spin attack on these slow wickets. Fortunately, they have plenty of batters who are up to the task.

Tom Blundell has been in excellent form of late, racking up almost 900 runs in his last 10 matches at an average of 56.19. He is a dependable batter who has the technique to excel on these pitches.

The Kiwis will also be hoping that Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra continue their good form from the recent World Cup in this Test series. While Mitchell has played 18 Tests, Ravindra has played only three. However, they should definitely make some impact. Moreover, Ravindra is a handy left-arm spinner and will be very useful on this pitch.

Talking about spin, the Kiwis have stacked their squad with plenty of them. Ajaz Patel will lead the spin attack and has been in good form of late. The left-arm spinner recently picked up his 250th first-class wicket for Central Districts, and earlier in May, he had taken ten wickets against Gloucestershire for Durham.

Partnering him will be Mitchell Santner, who last played the format in June 2021. Santner had a successful Plunket Shield season for Northern Districts in 2022-23, collecting 15 wickets and scoring 312 runs in three games.

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Tom Latham (wk), Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson/Neil Wagner, Tim Southee (c), Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi

New Zealand Actual Playing XI:

Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch here is usually very good for batting. However, it’s very likely that for this match we will get a spin-friendly wicket. The first two days will be the bets for batting. After that, the pitch should become slower and tougher to bat on. Spinners will find help almost throughout, particularly on the last two days of the match. 

BAN vs NZ Pitch Report

The only Test to have been played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium was between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in 2018. Zimbabwe won that low-scoring game by 151 runs after posting 282 in the first innings and then bowling out the home side for 143 and 169. The team batting first here should look to set a score of around 350 runs.

Toss: To Bat

Only one Test match has been played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and it was won by the team batting first. We reckon the team winning the toss is likely to bat first here.