Bangladesh created history on Thursday after they clinched another T20I series at home after beating New Zealand in the penultimate match of the five-match series in Dhaka to take an unassailable 3-1 lead.
The Asian side has been in some good form in the recent past especially in the T20I format. They earlier thumped Australia 4-1 at home and have now followed it by series win against the Blackcaps.
Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman rattled the New Zealand batting order once again as the visitors were bundled out for 93 on a track that didn’t really have much on offer for the batsmen.
Nevertheless, there was one positive for the Kiwis despite the dismal batting performance as Will Young was among some runs as he scored 46 off 48 and tried to hold the fort from one end.
Moreover, the bowlers especially Ajaz Patel did try to extract something out of the pitch as he picked up a couple of wickets at the cost of just 9 runs in 4 overs. But Mahmudullah made sure that the hosts didn’t come under any pressure and anchored them to a win eventually.
Having clinched the series now, the home side can experiment with XI and test the bench strength ahead. New Zealand on the other side, will be looking for a consolation win in this fifth and final t20I.
Match Details
Match – Bangladesh vs New Zealand – 5th T20I
Venue – Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
Time – 03:30 PM IST, 04:00 PM Local
Where to watch live – Fancode
Pitch Report
The tracks in Dhaka haven't been really helpful for the batsmen and are expected to remain the same in the final showdown as well. The bowlers, especially spinners can again play a major role in this encounter as well. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first.
Probable XI
Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (C), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tom Latham ( c and wk), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Blundell, Cole McConchie, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner, Hamish Bennett
Fantasy XI
Tom Latham, Mahmudullah, Will Young, Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Cole McConchie, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rachin Ravindra, Mustafizur Rahman, Ajaz Patel (vc), Nasum Ahmed (c)