Bangladesh’s historic tour of New Zealand gets underway on the 2nd of December with the 1st of 3 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) at 11:30 AM IST at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Bangladesh’s tour concludes with a 3-match One-Day International (ODI) series that follows.
The series is a historic one as Bangladesh for the very first time will be playing a bilateral series in New Zealand. The side had last toured the nation early this year during the 50-over World Cup, but it’ll be the first bilateral series outing for the women in green.
Head-to-Head :
The two sides, New Zealand and Bangladesh have only played a game against each other and New Zealand with a win holds a 100% win record and a 1-0 lead going into the series.
Squads :
New Zealand – Sophie Devine (C), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Jess McFadyen, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu
Bangladesh – Nigar Sultana (C/WK), Sharmin Akter, Fargana Hoque, Rumana Ahmed, Ritu Moni, Lata Mondol, Salma Khatun, Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Fahima Khatun, Sanjida Akther, Fariha Islam, Marufa Akter, Rabeya Khatun, Dilara Akter, Disha Biswas
Players to watch :
Maddy Green
The 30-year-old, in the format, has scored 657 runs in 57 innings at an average of 13.97, a strike rate of 93.99 and has got the highest score of 49*. In the lead-up to the series, she featured for the Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League (W-BBL) where she had a few starts and also got a fine fifty.
Amelia Kerr
The 22-year-old, in the format, with the bat has scored 423 runs in 34 innings with the highest being a 49* and with the ball has picked up 50 wickets in 51 innings at an economy rate of 5.93. She too in the lead-up to the series played in the W-BBL, where her all-round efforts were acknowledged in being a contender for the player of the tournament award that eventually, Ashleigh Gardner bagged.
Nigar Sultana
The 25-year-old, in the format, has got to 1190 runs off 62 innings at an average of 25.31, a strike rate of 90.08 and with 3 fifties and a century to her name, has got the highest score of 113*. During Bangladesh’s recent outing, during the Asia Cup, Nigar with consistent contributions emerged as the highest run scorer for her side.
Jahanara Alam
The 29-year-old, in the format, has picked up 56 wickets off 73 innings at an economy rate of 5.38 and has got both, a 4 and a 5-fer with best figures of 5/28. In 49 innings with the bat, she’s got to 167 runs with the highest being an 18*. Jahanara featured in both the warmup games in the lead-up to the series against New Zealand XI and bagged a wicket each in both, the 50-over and 20-over warmup games.
Pitch :
The 22-yards at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch very often makes an excellent pitch to bat on and the track generally holds on throughout the course of the game for a highly possible intriguing chase. The highest score in the men’s T20I at the venue is 208 and the last time New Zealand women’s team played at the venue back in 2015 against Sri Lanka notched up 188.
Weather :
Despite the showers on the radar, the series opener isn’t in the fray of a washout as the showers predicted are during the morning hours and with the game scheduled to be played under lights, a cloudy overhead under the night sky should set us up for a delightful contest.
Fantasy playing XI :
Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Fargana Hoque, Nigar Sultana, Maddy Green, Amelia Kerr, Murshida Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Jahanara Alam
Match details :
Date – December 2, 2022
Time – 11:30 AM IST
Venue – Hagley Oval, Christchurch