Bangladesh eye redemption against NZ in Napier: 3rd ODI preview
New Zealand and Bangladesh will lock horns in the 3rd and final ODI at McLean Park, Napier, on December 23. The hosts have an unassailable 2-0 lead, having claimed one-sided wins. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will play for pride in the final rubber. They have not beaten the Kiwis on New Zealand soil in ODI history. Here is the match preview.
Venue, timing, broadcast details, and more
The McLean Park in Napier will host the third ODI between the two teams on December 23 from 3:30am IST. The surface here usually assists the batters, while the seamers can gain early movement. Notably, the average first-innings score in ODIs is 239. The match will not be telecasted on television, so fans can stream the match live on the Amazon Prime website.
A look at the head-to-head record
New Zealand and Bangladesh have featured in 44 ODIs between them. The Kiwis have won 33 matches, while Bangladesh registered only 10 victories. One match ended without any result. At home, the Kiwis have faced Bangladesh 18 times, winning all the matches. In 2020, NZ defeated Bangladesh 3-0 in the home ODI series. They would aim to replicate their heroics.
Recap of 2nd ODI
Batting first in Nelson, Bangladesh were reduced to 80/4. Opener Soumya Sarkar steadied the ship with a 91-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim (45) as the visitors were folded for 291/10. In reply, NZ's chase was smooth, with openers Will Young and Rachin Ravindra (45) adding 76 runs. The former added 128 more runs with Henry Nicholls as NZ crossed the line in 46.2 overs.
Probable XIs of the two sides
New Zealand (Probable XI): Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell (wicket-keeper), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Adam Milne, Adithya Ashok, Jacob Duffy, and William ORourke. Bangladesh (Probable XI): Soumya Sarkar, Anamul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Rishad Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, and Hasan Mahmud.
Presenting the key stats
Tom Latham owns 657 runs against Bangladesh in 17 ODIs at an average of 59.72. He has hammered two centuries and four fifties. Mushfiqur Rahim has compiled 792 runs against the Kiwis in 33 ODIs. Interestingly, Litton Das averages just 7.70 against NZ in 10 innings. Najmul Hossain Shanto is 59 short of completing 1,000 runs in ODIs in 2023.
