Bangladesh will face New Zealand in the second T20I 29 at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram today (Wednesday), report agencies.
Bangladesh come into this match with strong momentum after a convincing six-wicket win in the first T20I, where they comfortably chased down a target of over 180. With confidence high, they will be aiming to secure another victory and seal the series.
On the other hand, New Zealand showed promise with the bat, but their bowling unit struggled, which ultimately cost them the game. They will now look to regroup, improve their bowling performance, and bounce back to level the series.
Rain could stand in the way of Bangladesh's push towards winning the T20I series in Chattogram.
The home side thrilled their fans with a big-hitting display rarely seen during a Bangladesh chase, leaving New Zealand shell-shocked with their late assault.
Bangladesh played a different type of T20I than they have done in the past 12 months. Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan couldn't provide them with the blazing start in a big chase and by the time they left, Bangladesh were facing a 10-plus asking rate. Enter Towhid Hridoy, Parvez Hossain and Shamim Hossain.
The middle-order trio went after New Zealand in a sustained counterattack that saw the home side reach the target with two overs to spare. Bangladesh, however, might have to revisit their bowling plans. They were too attacking and struggled to keep New Zealand in check.
New Zealand will be buoyed by half-centuries from Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver. Both batters showed their wide array of shots on both sides of the wicket, before stand-in captain Nick Kelly made a final effort to push the New Zealand total. Their bowling was as patchy as Bangladesh's. Left-arm seamer Ben Lister made a strong start, but the rest of the bowlers could not maintain the pressure. Even the experienced Ish Sodhi went at ten runs an over. But this will once again be a good test of New Zealand's depth.
The pitch at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium is generally considered a balanced surface, offering something for both batters and bowlers. In the previous
game, both teams found success with the bat, but chasing appeared relatively easier under the conditions. Given this
trend, the toss could once again play an important role, with teams likely preferring to bowl first.
Overall, the conditions suggest a closely contested match, with neither side holding a clear advantage.
