Can Bangladesh continue their T20I resurgence?

Bangladesh have won more T20Is than they have lost this year, including victories in the Asian Games with a second string team. They have achieved this for only the second time looking at the annual T20I records since 2006. That their string of wins this year includes a 3-0 cleansweep of England speaks of their growth in Twenty20 cricket, a format that Bangladesh haven't traditionally been their best at. However, all their wins this year have come in Asia and the challenge will be multi-fold when they face off against New Zealand in the latter's home conditions.

Bangladesh aren't known for their big-hitting skills in the shortest format but they now have a squad capable of matching up to some of the better teams in the world as they gear up for the T20 World Cup. This will also be Najmul Hossain Shanto's first assignment as captain in the 20-over version of international cricket and he'll be eager to make an immediate impact. That Bangladesh skittled New Zealand out for 98 in the final ODI to register their first 50-over victory against New Zealand in New Zealand will be a further boost for the team who will, however, need to quickly alter their mindset to suit T20 cricket.

New Zealand have a pretty settled line up even in the absence of some of their key cricketers. New Zealand pack a lot of power with their batting, have plenty of all-round options and top-class spinners in their team, along with experienced pacemen, presenting a well-rounded squad. Their last T20I outing was in England in August-September where they came back well after losing the first two games to draw the series 2-2. New Zealand will be keen to hit the straps as they begin their prep for the big event in June.

When: December 27, 2023 at 7:10 PM Local Time (11:40 PM IST)

Where: McLean Park, Napier

What to expect: A 200+ total has been achieved only once at this venue. Middling totals are the norm here, in the vicinity of 160-170, with pacers having found a lot of help here in the past.

Team news:

New Zealand: Kane Williamson and Kyle Jamieson were withdrawn from the T20I team to keep them fit for the future assignments. Williamson was supposed to captain New Zealand in the T20I series against Bangladesh but Mitchell Santner will now take over the reins, with Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy being added to the squad.

Squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar is part of the T20I setup, with the senior player making the New Zealand trip thanks to his experience. Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, who debuted against England earlier this year, pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who is uncapped in the format, are also part of the squad.

Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Tanzim Hasan Sakib

What they said:

"We haven't won a T20 game over here. This was the same as one-day cricket but then we managed to win the last game. Certainly it will help mentally. When you have a good win you feel good and because you have done something you want to repeat no matter what the format is and that will give us confidence leading into the T20Is." - Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.