New Zealand vs Bangladesh, 3rd T20I, preview and predictions: New Zealand look to put Bangladesh in further enigma
3rd T20I, preview and predictions: New Zealand look to put Bangladesh in further enigma
Five matches, 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is, have been played between New Zealand and Bangladesh. And not even once did the latter lose any match by a small margin. No humdinger, no last-over thriller, no intense drama: Bangladesh failed to even put up a fight. Yes, it is the same Bangladesh that had levelled a Test series with England. Yes, it the same Bangladesh that bettered the likes of Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Asia Cup T20 2016 and reached the final. Yes, it is the same Bangladesh who are no longer called the underdogs. That very Bangladesh has been reduced to pulp in New Zealand.
The third and final T20I will be played at Mount Maunganui. It is a dead rubber for New Zealand, for they are more than likely to win the series 3-0, like they did in the ODIs. On the other hand, Bangladesh have nothing to lose, for they have not achieved anything to flaunt. No personal milestones, no team performances, no grit displayed: they have been the Bangladesh we knew before their historic win over India in ICC World Cup 2007. Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s respite since the win, has been ordinary. He has only a fifty to his name this series boast of.
FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I at Bay Oval
Imrul Kayes, to put things into perspective, looked better, but he, too, has a solitary fifty. To make matters worse, he scored ducks in the first 2 T20Is. Then the likes of Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan averaged in 20s in the ODIs. Amidst all this, Mahmadullah scored only 4 runs in 3 ODIs. However, he made amends and plundered a stunning 52 in the first T20I. But again, even he has a solitary half-century like Tamim and Kayes.
Their bowling has been even more abysmal. Apart from Mustafizur Rahman, none of the bowlers averaged in 20s. Captain Mashrafe Mortaza, for that matter, averaged 48.6 in the ODIs. Shakib, the finest all-rounder in the history of Bangladesh cricket, was the highest wicket-taker but averaged over 30 and conceded runs over 6.
If their bowling unit performed well, the batting department failed to match the standards, and vice versa. These numbers tell the story. They reveal how Bangladesh perform when pitted against the top guns in a bilateral series.
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In other words, Bangladesh have been mediocre. Their reputation of pulling off upsets restricts to only one match a year. Beyond that, Bangladesh continues being Bangladesh.
Then there’s New Zealand. They rediscovered the 33-year-old Neil Broom. He blasted a stunning 109 not out in the second ODI, followed by a 97 in the last one. The opposition may have been the fallible Bangladesh, but he applied himself sensibly to make sure New Zealand do not falter at crucial junctures.
Tom Latham scored his mandatory hundred. Kane Williamson fell 5 runs short of his mandatory hundred and then scored 73 in the first T20I — both unbeaten knocks. The belligerent Colin Munro blasted 101 of 54. And then the bowling department, comprising of Tim South, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, among others, emulated what the batting unit did. All in all, New Zealand had an easy yet impressive outing so far.
Is there even anything to preview for the 3rd T20I? Yes, there are chances that Bangladesh may win it, but the odds are difficult to decipher.
Teams:
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Corey Anderson, Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ben Wheeler, George Worker
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Nurul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shuvagata Hom, Soumya Sarkar, Subashis Roy, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed
TIME: 15:00 local | 7.30 IST