New Zealand vs Bangladesh, NZ vs BAN 2023, Today Match Prediction 17 December 2023

NZ vs BAN Match Prediction & Analysis

Having drawn the Test series 1-1 on their tour of Bangladesh recently, New Zealand is now all set to host the Bangla Tigers for a white-ball series. The two sides will first clash in a three-match ODI series beginning December 17 in Dunedin. This will be followed by a three-match T20 series from December 27. The Black Caps are very strong at home and have an impressive record against Bangladesh on their own turf. They will thus begin the series as favorites. 

RECENT PERFORMANCE

NZ

BAN

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

New Zealand Preview

New Zealand will be led by Tom Latham as regular ODI captain Kane Williamson has been rested for this series. Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, and Devon Conway have been also been rested. That won’t be a huge issue for the Black Caps as they have enough strength in their arsenal to tackle the opposition.

For starters, Rachin Ravindra will be one of their main batters to watch out for. The exciting young left-handed batter had a breakout World Cup in India recently where he went on amass 578 runs in 10 innings at an average of 64.22.

Will Young (206 runs in the last 6 matches at an average of 34.33) is another batter we feel will do well in this series.

Finn Allen has been inconsistent for a while, but we feel this can be the series where he stamps his authority.

New Zealand’s bowling will be led by Kyle Jamieson in the absence of the regular stars. The tall fast bowler is returning from a long injury lay-off, but he should do well in these home conditions. Adam Milne is likely to partner him for the new ball.

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Tom Latham (c and wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne

New Zealand Actual Playing XI:

Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Josh Clarkson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, William O'Rourke

Bangladesh Preview

Bangladesh had a horrible World Cup recently, where they managed just two wins in nine games. Things won’t get any easier for them as they face New Zealand in alien conditions with regular captain Shakib Al Hasan, who is still recovering from his finger injury.

Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead a talented unit that features plenty of exciting faces. Shanto himself will be their key batter. He has scored 298 runs in the last 10 matches at an average of 33.11.

The experience of Litton Das will also be quite handy for the Bangladeshi side. He has struggled in recent times, but we are expecting some valuable runs from him in this series.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are the other two batters worth banking on.

On the bowling front, Mustafizur Rahman will have the most important part. He has taken 21 wickets against New Zealand in 15 ODIs, and we think he should have a good series here. 

Hasan Mahmud has impressed in whatever chances he has gotten so far, and he might well turn out to be Bangladesh’s bowling star in this series.

Bangladesh Predicted Playing XI:

Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Rakibul Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud

Bangladesh Actual Playing XI:

Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Anamul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the University Oval in Dunedin is excellent for batting. This is a small field, so you should see plenty of fours and sixes being smashed. Batters will be able to play their shots at will once they have seen off the new ball. Bowlers will have to be on point with their lengths.

A couple of showers are expected in the morning during the day of the game. For the most part, though, the weather will be cloudy. 

NZ vs BAN Pitch Report

The average score batting first at the University Oval is 249. The highest total posted at the venue is New Zealand’s 360-5 against Sri Lanka in 2015. The boundaries are short here, and the pitch is flat. So, we can expect a high-scoring encounter. The par score should be around 300-320 runs.

Toss: To Bowl

Six of the 11 matches played at the University Oval in Dunedin have been won by the chasing side. We reckon the toss-winning side will choose to field first here.