The stage is set for a white-ball series between Bangladesh and New Zealand starting on April 17th in Mirpur, Dhaka. The series will consist of 3 ODIs and 3 T20IS. The focus will be on the ODI series first, and it is important points up for grabs for Bangladesh. Bangladesh recently beat Pakistan in a 3-match series 2-1 to move upwards to 9th in the table, which is the cut-off for direct qualification. They will want to continue that winning momentum when they host a second-string New Zealand side, who are sitting pretty in second place and are testing their bench strength.
Bangladesh will be led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and they have their full strength side available to them, while New Zealand will be led by Tom Latham with a young side, as most of its players are linked up with IPL and PSL at this stage of the proceedings. The stage is set for an interesting 3-ODI series with Mirpur and Chattogram hosting the matches. We start in Mirpur.
Overview
The stage is set for the start of the six white-ball games between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Mirpur, Dhaka. There are six matches to be played, out of which 3 are ODIs and 3 are T20Is. The first two ODIs are in Dhaka, while the last ODI is in Chattogram. The IPL and PSL are in full swing, and the visitors have named a second-string side for this tour. Head coach Rob Walter is impressed by the fact that 54 New Zealand players are in the Indian sub-continent as we speak.
There is a senior men’s outfit here in Bangladesh. A few are with New Zealand A, which is featuring in a First-Class series in Sri Lanka, and the rest of them are playing in the IPL or PSL. New Zealand won 2-0 when these two sides last met in Bangladesh in the ODIs. Henry Nicholls was the player of the series, while Will Young received the player of the match award in the decider. Foxcroft and Cleaver, the other two New Zealand players on that tour, are in this squad.
The Kiwis are without their regular captain, Mitchell Santner, who is playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. In his absence, keeper batter Tom Latham will lead the side across formats. Players like Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Matt Henry, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne weren’t available due to their IPL commitments, while stalwart Kane Williamson will miss this tour due to his new role at Lucknow Super Giants as a strategic advisor.
Players like Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Bevon-John Jacobs, Brett Hampton, Daryl Mitchell, Cole McConchie and Ben Sears will miss the series due to their PSL commitments. Sears was part of the ODI squad, but a late PSL call-up means he won’t be available for the ODIs. No replacement has been announced for Sears yet. In addition, Kristian Clarke has been ruled out of the tour after splitting webbing on his right hand while attempting a catch in the second ODI game against Sri Lanka A. Left-arm seamer Ben Lister has replaced Clarke in the squad.
Latham will rely on the experience of Henry Nicholls and Will Young with the bat. Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, and Nick Kelly will have their opportunities to shine in the absence of the big names. Cleaver is also a wicket-keeping option. All-rounder Foxcroft has received a recall into the white-ball set-up on the back of his recent heroics in the New Zealand domestic circuit.
Nathan Smith, Muhammad Abbas and Josh Clarkson are the other two all-rounders in the squad, with Smith having a fair bit of experience playing for the Kiwis. It is an injury-prone fast-bowling group that the tourists have for this series. Will O’Rourke and Blair Tickner return to the setup after recovering from back and ankle injuries, respectively. Both have had decent experiences and have done well, but most of their performances have come back home. Jayden Lennox and Adithya Ashok will take care of the spin-bowling duties after having done good work in their previous series in India earlier in the year.
The hosts, Bangladesh, have announced an unchanged 15-man squad for the first two games. Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue to lead the unit that recently beat Pakistan 2-1 at home. Despite a poor run of form, BCB have retained the likes of opener Saif Hassan and middle-order batter Afif Hossain. Soumya Sarkar and Mahidul Islam Ankon are in the ranks, and that will only add pressure to get the best out of Saif and Afif.
BCB’s new selection panel, led by former cricketer Habibul Bashar, said they want consistency in selection and hence there were no changes made by the committee. The man in form, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, experienced Litton Das, former skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and classy Towhid Hridoy, have to do the bulk of the scoring, while Bangladesh keep their faith in their four quicks in Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Nahid Rana. The seamers did an excellent job against Pakistan in the recent home series.
The spin bowling front has two all-rounders and a left-arm tweaker. Skipper Mehidy and Rishad Hossain are going to start, with Tanvir Islam’s selection depending on the surface. Nahid, Mustafizur, Shoriful, Rishad, and Tanzid were busy playing in the PSL, but they had all linked up with the squad well in advance. The 50-over World Cup is just a year away, and Bangladesh will look to find their match-winning combination, while New Zealand will have to adapt to foreign conditions with an inexperienced side.
Let’s wait and watch to see whether the new look New Zealand side will challenge Bangladesh in Bangladesh. Or whether the hosts will run away with the series.
Head-To-Head
New Zealand and Bangladesh have played against each other in 46 matches, out of which New Zealand have won 34 games compared to Bangladesh’s 11 wins. One match ended in a No Result. It’s 9-1 in the visitor’s favour in the last 10 games, with the last meeting taking place in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch in Mirpur, Dhaka, usually favours spinners, though it’s often considered a balanced surface early on. The pitch can be tricky as it tends to offer low-scoring matches and deteriorates over time, making it harder to bat in the second innings. Teams often prefer to bowl first on this surface, with the recent trends showing 64 wins for sides bowling first compared to 60 batting first.
The weather is expected to be overcast with a high probability of rain throughout the day. The maximum temperature will be around 28 Degrees Celsius. Humidity will be high, around 82-83%. There is a high chance of rain, with predictions suggesting a 86% probability of showers. The wind speed is around 13 km/hr.
Probable/Predicted Playing XIs for both sides.Â
Here, we will predict the probable playing XIs of both sides.
Bangladesh XI: Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana.
New Zealand XI: Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Tom Latham (c &wk), Muhammad Abbas/Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Adithya Ashok, Will O’Rourke, Jayden Lennox.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash.Â
Tanzid Hasan Tamim: As an opener of the team, he will be a key asset for Bangladesh. He would like to give Bangladesh a solid start in the power play and, if possible, play a long innings. That will be his biggest aim. On a pitch that may suit the spinners later on, early runs will be crucial, and Tanzid will have to get going quickly.
Nahid Rana: Nahid Rana was the chief architect for Bangladesh in their series win against Pakistan, and he will look to carry on that form in this series as well. With the likes of Taskin and Mustafizur in their ranks, Nahid would like to punch above their weight and do well for his side. If he gets going, he may well run through the New Zealand top order quickly.
Will Young: Will Young is one of the few experienced players left in this New Zealand squad, and he would want to do well and lead from the top of the order. With several players missing, Young will have to lead this inexperienced batting attack to do well. He was in decent form in the ODI series against India and would like to carry that form in this clash as well. He will be key for New Zealand.
Will O’Rourke: Will O’Rourke returns after a long lay-off and will be key to leading the New Zealand attack. He will be itching and raring to go after missing a lot of cricket. He has experience over the other bowlers chosen, especially in the sub-continental conditions, and will be keen to make a roaring comeback after the injury.
Predicted Outcome of the Match
For starters, let’s hope that the rain stays away and we get a game in, as important points are up for grabs for Bangladesh. New Zealand have the overall advantage against Bangladesh, but the hosts are in great form, and the Kiwis are bringing an inexperienced squad. Taking that into consideration, and with a lack of experience as well, it is Bangladesh who starts as slight favourites. But New Zealand can surprise their opponents as they did to India earlier in the year with a new-look squad. Underestimate New Zealand at your own peril.
Let’s see how things unfold as the first ODI is upon us in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Friday, April 17th, 2026.
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