Bangladesh will host New Zealand for a three-match ODI series in Mirpur after the Asia Cup; the Kiwis have named a 15-man team for the series.
Many prominent players, including Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, and Mitchell Santner, were rested by New Zealand, who will be captained by Lockie Ferguson as regular ODI captain Kane Williamson heals from a knee injury. Gary Stead, their head coach, will also be absent from the trip.
The series will serve as a lead-up to the ODI World Cup, which takes place in a month.
To an enthusiast of Bangladesh, many of the above items may seem familiar. Prior to the T20 World Cup, a subpar New Zealand side traveled to Bangladesh only two years prior, yet they were defeated for the first time in a bilateral T20 series by the Tigers.
Bangladesh carried a false feeling of success to the T20I World Cup at the time, using the low and sluggish Mirpur wickets to their advantage. This ultimately backfired horrifically on the Tigers.
National selector Habibul Bashar, however, says Bangladesh won’t be using a similar strategy this time around.
“Right now, our bowling assault is excellent. Regarding the kinds of surfaces that may be ready for the New Zealand series, Bashar said, “I don’t think we will be going with that type of pitch anymore as we already have a good bowling unit — both spin and pace.”
In order to keep some of their star players healthy for the World Cup, which will feature a demanding travel schedule, Bashar also hinted that the Tigers could possibly decide to rest a few crucial players throughout the series. That will, however, rely on Bangladesh’s performance in this Asia Cup.
Furthermore, a lot will rely on our ability to go far in this Asia Cup. We will have played a big number of games if we can make it to the Super Four. Then, we could even decide to rest a couple of our most important players when we face New Zealand,” Bashar said.