After a dominant victory in the series opener, Bangladesh will look to achieve a historic whitewash in the T20I series when they take on New Zealand in the third and final T20I match on Saturday, May 1st. The final match of the series will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The second match of the series was washed out due to rain.  

 

Bangladesh

 

It was a brilliant start from the hosts, Bangladesh started the T20I series with a bang, defeating New Zealand by 6 wickets in the series opener. While batting first, New Zealand scored 182 for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs. Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets in his bowling spell. Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hsan, and Mahedi Hasan grabbed one wicket each. Bangladeshi batters contributed well in the run chase, but Towhid Hridoy topped the chart with his unbeaten half-century, scoring 51* off 27 deliveries. Shamim Hossain also played a crucial role, scoring 31 runs off just 13 deliveries. This win also handed Bangladesh an early lead of 1-0 in the three-match series. The second match of the series was washed out due to rain. The hosts are having an advantage going into this final match, and a victory here will help them clean sweep the series against New Zealand. 

 

New Zealand

 

With the second match resulting in a washout, the visitors are now facing a tough situation. They are trailing by 0-1 in the three-match series. New Zealand has been playing this series with a third-string side, with Nick Kelly leading the team and no senior player participating. They suffered a loss in the series opener by 6 wickets. They had a good start with their batting, smashing 182 runs in their 20 overs, but their bowling was disappointing. Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver smashed their respective half-centuries, scoring 51 runs each. Skipper Nick Kelly also played well and scored 39 runs with the bat. Ish Sodhi was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets in his bowling spell. The visitors will look to bounce back in the second match and look to level the series.

 

BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I Match Details

 

BAN vs NZ T20I Match Details
Match	Bangladesh vs New Zealand 3rd T20I Match
Date and Time	Saturday, May 2; 1:30 PM IST
Venue	Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
Broadcasting and live streaming	TV - NA, Live Stream - FanCode (app and website)

 

BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I Pitch Report

 

The surface in Mirpur has always favoured spinners over the years due to its slow and sluggish nature, which eventually makes batting a tough task in the second innings. The surface will also help the pace bowlers during the power play to extract good movements. Batters will need to play cautiously against the spin, and they will be able to post a good score after spending some time at the crease. The average first innings score at this venue is likely to be around 150. 

 

BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I Weather Report

 

The weather is expected to remain covered with heavy clouds throughout the match, with 60% chance of rain interrupting it. The temperature will be around 28-30°C with a humidity of approximately 78%, making it feel slightly warmer. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms as well. 

 

BAN vs NZ Head-to-Head Records

 

BAN vs NZ head-to-head (in T20Is)
Match Played	22
Won by Bangladesh	5
Won by New Zealand	15
Tied	0
No Result	2

 

BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I Probable XI

 

• Bangladesh: Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Towhid Hridoy, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (c/wk), Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Ripon Mondal, Shoriful Islam

 

• New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver (wk), Nick Kelly (c), Bevon Jacobs, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Matthew Fisher, Ben Lister

 

Players To Watch Out For in the BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I Match

 

• Towhid Hridoy | BAN: Bangladesh's prominent all-rounder in this format. He has been a star player for the team, especially on the home pitches. He is someone who contributes with his batting and bowling. In the series opener T20I match against New Zealand, he scored an unbeaten 51 off 27 deliveries and sealed the match. He had a brilliant outing in the ODI series as well. Overall, he has scored 1228 runs in 58 T20I matches. He will be one player to watch out for in this game. 

 

• Dane Cleaver | NZ: The 26-year-old batter played a fighting knock against Bangladesh in the opening match, scoring 51 runs off 37 balls. He looked in good touch and would look to score more runs in the second T20I match. He has played 3 T20I matches in his career so far and has scored 62 runs with one half-century. 

 

BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I Toss Prediction

 

Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue

 

• In the last three T20I matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bat on two occasions and bowl once. 

 

Advantages of Batting First on This Pitch

 

• Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium has hosted a total of 66 T20I matches to date, in which batting first teams have won 33 matches, while the teams batting second have won 33 matches as well. However, the recent trend suggests that teams should prefer to bat first on this surface to get maximum benefits. 

 

BAN vs NZ T20I Today's Match Scenario

 

Scenario 1

 

• Toss Winner: Bangladesh (opts to bat first)
• Power-Play Score: 40-45
• BAN Total: 155-160
• Match Winner: Bangladesh

 

Scenario 2

 

• Toss Winner: New Zealand (opts to bat first)
• Power-Play Score: 40-42
• NZ Total: 145-160
• Match Winner: New Zealand

 

Who will win today's BAN vs NZ 3rd T20I match?

 

Bangladesh has been playing really good cricket lately, especially at home. They won the ODI series and are now eyeing a series victory in the T20I series. They have the winning momentum on their side after winning the series-opener T20I. Considering how inexperienced this New Zealand side is, Bangladesh will have the upper hand going into this match and is expected to win. Considering the previous track record of Bangladesh in Mirpur, they are the favourites to win this game.