Injury clouds still loom over Tim Southee and Henry Nicholls ahead of the Black Caps world cup clash with Bangladesh
The Black Caps play in their second match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, taking on Bangladesh at The Oval in London early tomorrow morning. Niall Anderson runs through all you need to know – well, at least most of what you need to know - about the clash.
Bangladesh again? Didn't the Black Caps just play them?
Yup, it's quite a familiar start for the Black Caps at the World Cup – opening against two of the sides they hosted for lengthy tours over the summer. Afghanistan will provide some new faces on Sunday, but for now, it's more of the same as Bangladesh await.
Well, it should be another easy win then? I watched that series this summer….
It's true that the New Zealand series was rather one-sided. Bangladesh never looked like winning, being reduced to 94-6, 93-5 and 61-5 on their way to eventual defeats of eight wickets, eight wickets and 88 runs respectively. But, they have never won in New Zealand, so that was expected, and with Shakib Al Hasan back and some slightly more favourable conditions in the United Kingdom, Bangladesh will be a tougher challenge.
Ah yes, the United Kingdom... I remember that Champions Trophy match.
Yes… Not New Zealand's greatest moment, as Bangladesh recovered from 33-4 to chase down 266, dumping the Black Caps out of the Champions Trophy. That is the only meeting between these two sides in the UK, and with Bangladesh having also beaten South Africa in their opening game of the World Cup, they aren't as easy an opponent as that New Zealand series might suggest.
That South Africa victory was pretty impressive. It sounds like they're favourites…
Woah, slow down there. While Bangladesh should have more fun in UK conditions than New Zealand conditions, unfortunately for them, the wicket at The Oval looks like it might have some similarities to the ones preferred by the Black Caps bowlers. While the wicket – a new strip - is not set to be as green as it was in Cardiff, it still looks to be a bowl-first wicket, and the Black Caps have already had success at the ground, albeit in a warm-up game against India.
Additionally, while the addition of Shakib is important, he's likely to be the only change to the Bangladesh side that was walloped in New Zealand, and they will need many more players to improve on those performances to have a chance.
The Black Caps claimed a 3-0 ODI series win over Bangladesh in New Zealand earlier this year. Photo / Photosport
Are we going to see any changes to the Black Caps side?
No. It was confirmed this morning that Tim Southee and Henry Nicholls will remain sidelined as they continue their recovery from calf and hamstring injuries respectively. That will give another opportunity to Colin Munro and Matt Henry to put their hand up for continued selection throughout the World Cup. The wickets have yet to offer a chance for the Black Caps to consider using Ish Sodhi as a second spin option.
Black Caps' XI to play Bangladesh:
1. Colin Munro 2. Martin Guptill 3. Kane Williamson 4. Ross Taylor 5. Tom Latham 6. Jimmy Neesham 7. Colin de Grandhomme 8. Mitchell Santner 9. Matt Henry 10. Lockie Ferguson 11. Trent Boult
How about Bangladesh?
They, too, are likely to stick with the same XI that started so superbly with a win over South Africa.
Bangladesh's likely XI:
1. Tamim Iqbal 2. Soumya Sarkar 3. Shakib Al Hasan 4. Mushfiqur Rahim 5. Mohammad Mithun 6. Mahmudullah 7. Mosaddek Hossain 8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz 9. Mohammad Saifuddin 10. Mashrafe Mortaza 11. Mustafizur Rahman
There will be live commentary on Radio Sport, and live updates on nzherald.co.nz. And of course, we will have a smorgasbord of coverage post-match from London, via myself and my more talented colleagues.
