Hosts New Zealand take on Bangladesh in the first match of the 3-match T20 series at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.

New Zealand swatted away the Bangladesh challenge in the ODIs with relative ease. The team will be exceptionally satisfied with the way their new incoming players have been performing and will look to test more of their bench strength in this series ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year. T Southee will lead the T20I side, with the likes of L Ferguson, A Milne and H Bennett in the pace department and I Sodhi and T Astle in the spin section. In the batting department, M Guptill, D Conway, G Philips, M Chapman and debutant F Allen will form the core in the absence of regular players.

Bangladesh will hope that the change of formats will change their fortunes on this tour. Mahmudullah will lead the team, with regular captain Tamim missing the series due to personal reasons. In the ODI series, most of the batsmen in the line-up were not up to the challenge and only Tamim, Mithun and Mahmudullah had a good run. The likes of Mushfiqur and L Das will be eager to prove themselves after a poor series. M Rahman and R Hossain will be their first-choice pacers, with a face-off between M Saifuddin and T Ahmed for the third pacer’s slot.

Despite missing a lot of regular players, the hosts have several quality players who can step up on their day. On the other hand, Bangladesh batsmen need to apply themselves better in these conditions and bat more sensibly. Expect an entertaining opening game of this 3-match series at Hamilton.

Match Details

• Match: New Zealand vs. Bangladesh, 1st T20
• Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
• Date & Time: Mar. 28, 2021, at 6:30 AM IST

Probable Playing XI

New Zealand

M Guptill, F Allen, D Conway, G Phillips (WK), M Chapman, D Mitchell, T Astle, T Southee (C), L Ferguson, A Milne, I Sodhi

Bangladesh

L Das, N Sheikh, S Sarkar, M Mithun, M Rahim (WK), Mahmudullah (C), M Hasan, M Hassan, M Saifuddin, R Hossain, M Rahman

Weather and Pitch Report

The weather in Hamilton is going to be clear, with the temperature expected to be around 23 degrees during the game. Expect a full match with no rain interruptions.

The pitch at Seddon Park is usually a flat one for the ODI and T20 games. With its small boundaries, it makes up for high-scoring games. However, pace bowlers should get some extra bounce and movement with the new ball. There will not be much spin for the slow bowlers. The average score in the last five T20I games played here has been 182 runs. 

The past record suggests that chasing is an easier task at this venue and defending can be quite difficult here. So expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. A first innings score of around 185 runs can be a challenging target.

Key Players

• D Conway had a brilliant ODI series, with 225 runs including a century and a half century in the last two matches. He has a good T20I series against Australia, scoring 192 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 140. He will look to continue his brilliant form in this match too.
• F Allen was the top run scorer in the recently-concluded domestic T20 tournament. He scored 512 runs at an average of 56.88 and a strike rate of 193.93, including 6 half centuries. He will look to continue the great run of newcomers in the national team here.
• I Sodhi was adjudged the Player of the Series in the series against Australia. He picked up 12 wickets in the series, at an average of 12.07 and the best figures of 4/27. He will look to pick wickets consistently in the middle overs in this series too.
• L Das failed to get going in the ODI series after a good form against West Indies at home. He scored just 40 runs in three games. He was the top scorer of the domestic T20 tournament, with 393 runs in 10 games at an average of 49.
• Mahmudullah was the only Bangladesh batsmen to play fluently in the last ODI match, scoring 76 runs off 74 balls. He had a good domestic T20 season, with 274 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 130. He will look to continue his good form in this series too. 
• R Hossain only played in the last match of the ODI series, taking 3 wickets in his spell. He bowled well in the opening spell and the final overs. He took 11 wickets in the domestic T20 cup at an average of 22.54. He will look to pick up more wickets against the strong batting line-up of the hosts. 

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: F Allen, D Conway, L Das 
• Batsmen: G Phillips. M Mithun, Mahmudullah 
• All-rounder: M Saifuddin
• Bowlers: T Southee, L Ferguson, I Sodhi, R Hossain

• Captain: L Ferguson/I Sodhi
• Vice Captain: F Allen/D Conway

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make today’s match prediction and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

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