A short delay at the toss set the tone for a slightly chaotic start to the opening ODI in Mirpur, where Tom Latham won the coin flip and immediately told the umpire, “We’ll have a bat, thanks.” Moments earlier, Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons had sprinted in a revised team sheet, confirming that Mustafizur Rahman had been withdrawn.
“He felt slight discomfort on his right knee during the warm-ups today,” team operations manager Nafees Iqbal said, adding that the medical staff did not want to gamble on the left-arm quick this early in the series. Mustafizur’s absence pushed Shoriful Islam into the XI and left Mehidy Hasan Miraz with a three-pronged pace attack of Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana and Shoriful on a pitch that usually slows as the day wears on.
New Zealand’s line-up is also far from full strength. Eighteen contracted players are busy in the IPL or PSL, while another group is on A-team duty in Sri Lanka, leaving Latham with only Henry Nicholls, Will Young and Jayden Lennox from their last ODI, back in January. “Good to be back in the black kit,” Latham said. “Looks a decent surface; hopefully we can put a score on the board and let our bowlers have a crack.”
Standing in as captain, Mehidy took the setback in stride. “We wanted to bowl first anyway,” he smiled, though the late loss of Mustafizur’s cutters and change of pace is hardly ideal.
Teams
Bangladesh: Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Afif Hossain, 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.
With both squads missing senior names, the contest doubles as an audition. Bangladesh’s Rana can push the speed gun, while Lennox’s left-arm spin offers balance to New Zealand’s attack. For all the comings and goings, the format is simple: bat sensibly, bowl straight and field sharply—basics that rarely change no matter who’s available.
First ball was scheduled for 10 a.m. local time. A scan later today should reveal whether Mustafizur is merely sore or facing a longer stint on the sidelines.
