BAN vs NZ, 1st ODI: In what promises to be a mouthwatering clash, Bangladesh host New Zealand at the iconic Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. It is the first game of the three-match series and both teams would ideally love to get off to a winning start. With a new BCB president in place, it will certainly be a start of a new chapter for Bangladesh cricket.

Bangladesh would be confident locking horns with the Blackcaps, thanks to their recent success in Pakistan. If one takes a look at the head to head between the two sides, the NZ team is way ahead. The Blackcaps have beaten Bangladesh 34 times in ODI's, while losing 11 games. One match did not yield a result. 

How Will Pitch Play? 

There is a lot of interest around how the strip will play. Traditionally, the Sher-e-Bangla pitch offers reasonable assistance to spinners. It is not a pitch the batters will enjoy as the ball does not come onto the bat quick. The slow nature of the pitch could make run-scoring difficult and hence we could be in for a low-scoring affair. 

There is no doubt that the team winning the toss would opt to bat first as that may be the preferred route to avoid the surface gripping more in the second innings.

BAN vs NZ Predicted XI

Bangladesh: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (C), Litton Das (WK), Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Saif Hassan, Taskin Ahmed, Tanvir Islam, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Rishad Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Nahid Rana

New Zealand: Tom Latham (C & WK), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Dane Cleaver, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Ben Sears, Adithya Ashok, Blair Tickner, Ben Lister, William ORourke, Muhammad Abbas, Jayden Lennox, Dean Foxcroft, Nick Kelly