Tom Latham won the toss – same as two nights ago – and had no hesitation in batting first in the second ODI at Mirpur on Monday. New Zealand stay unchanged after that 26-run win, clearly happy with what they saw.
Bangladesh have tweaked things. Soumya Sarkar returns, Afif Hossain sits out after a scratchy 27 that slowed the chase in game one. The rest of the side is untouched, meaning Mustafizur Rahman remains on the bench and Shoriful Islam, a late call-up in the opener, keeps his spot following figures of 2-27.
The pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium is already a talking point. Last used against Pakistan in March, it offered decent grass and plenty of carry for the seamers. Curator sources say the surface has been rolled but “left alive” – code for pace and bounce rather than the variable stuff seen on Friday. New Zealand seamer Nathan Smith had a careful look yesterday and noted: “There should be better bounce out there.” Bangladesh’s think-tank evidently agree; they have gone with a full three-man pace unit – Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful and youngster Nahid Rana – with Mehidy Hasan Miraz again leading the side and the spin.
For Litton Das, it is ODI number 100. The keeper-batter has spoken of wanting “a tidy hundred and a win” to mark the milestone; either would help a batting line-up that mis-timed its chase in game one, sliding from 128-2 to 211-9.
New Zealand, meanwhile, are unchanged from one to eleven. Henry Nicholls and Will Young form the top, Nick Kelly and Dean Foxcroft hold the middle, and that tidy lower-order of Muhammad Abbas, Josh Clarkson and Smith offer ballast. Blair Tickner, Will O’Rourke and left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox complete a bowling group that enjoyed home-length bounce on Friday and should have a similar brief again.
Teams
Bangladesh: Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana.
New Zealand: Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Tom Latham (capt, wk), Muhammad Abbas, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will O’Rourke, Jayden Lennox.
