CWC Bang150A betting preview of the first T20 International between Bangladesh and New Zealand including match result and top run scorer and wicket taker tips courtesy of @Olimp_SA

 

 

 

 

New Zealand travel to Dhaka to take on Bangladesh for a five match T20 series that starts on Wednesday as both teams gear up for the T20 World Cup which starts in October.

 

Bangladesh

 

Bangladesh go into this series on a real high after defeating Australia 4-1 in a T20 series earlier this month for the first time ever on home soil. It was a dominating performance to say the least which saw the Australian batting line up struggle considerably to get runs on the slow surface. Bangladesh have become very strong T20 contenders on home soil and this is backed up by the fact that they have now only lost once in their last nine home T20 matches. Their convincing series win against the Aussies would no doubt have boosted their confidence as they go into their matches with New Zealand and you can expect another strong showing from the men in green.

 

Good news for Bangladesh is that Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim return to the batting department after missing out on the series against Australia. I’m expecting them to put in big performances upon their return alongside the likes of Mahmudullah and Al Hasan which should result in a solid batting performance from the hosts.

 

On the bowling front Islam and Rahman are back after brilliant form against Australia. Along with Al Hasan they did a great job at restricting Australia to very low totals in all five matches in the series and I expect them to do the same against New Zealand. The largest score in the last six T20s in Dhaka is just 131 runs so the conditions will certainly be in their favour to do so.

 

New Zealand

 

The last time New Zealand was in T20 action was back in March this year when they beat Bangladesh 3-0 in New Zealand. However, with so many senior players missing for the visitors because of the upcoming IPL you can be sure that it’s not going to be a walk in the park for the Black Caps this time around. There will be no Williamson, Boult, Southee or Jamieson in the team and Finn Allen is also out indefinitely after testing positive for Covid. Instead Tom Latham leads a relatively inexperienced team in this series that will more than likely struggle to perform in the Dhaka conditions.

 

There are a few household names present for the Black Caps including de Grandhomme and Nicholls in the batting line up, while Dougie Bracewell and Hamish Bennett lead the bowling attack. Make no mistake though, this is a very weak New Zealand team and I expect them to struggle just as much as Australia did earlier this month. They have rightly been priced up as underdogs for this match.

 

Prediction

 

For me it’s pretty clear that Bangladesh is the better team on paper. They are fresh off a confidence-boosting T20 series win against Australia less than a month ago, while the Black Caps have not dabbled in the shorter format for a while now and they may just be a bit rusty. It’s going to be even more difficult for the visitors with the majority of their senior team out of action and then there’s the fact that Bangladesh will be much more familiar with the playing conditions.

 

I think there is some great value to be had here with backing Bangladesh for the win despite the fact that they have never beaten New Zealand at home in a T20 before. For top bowlers I will have to go with spin on both sides on the slow track so I will be backing Ajaz Patel for New Zealand and the always reliable Shakib Al Hasan for Bangladesh. I don’t expect many runs in this match but I am willing to have a crack at Liton Das to get a big score for his team in his first game back after missing the last series.

 

BetOlimp Best Bets

Bangladesh to win – 1.74
Top Home Batsman: Liton Das – 4.50
Top Home Bowler: Shakib Al Hasan – 3.75
Top Away Bowler: Ajaz Patel – 4.30

 

Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change

 

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