Captain Litton Das said the possibility of rain later in the match influenced the call.
“We will bowl first. I think it might rain later, which is why we’ve decided to bowl first,” he explained, adding that Bangladesh are going in with a balanced combination of three seamers, two spinners, and six batters. He also described the surface as a good wicket but stressed the need to restrict New Zealand to a manageable total.
New Zealand, led by stand-in captain Nick Kelly, were also inclined to bowl first but are confident of putting up a competitive score. Kelly provided an update on regular skipper Tom Latham, who missed the match due to a toe injury sustained in the nets.
“Yeah, he hurt his toe while batting in the nets. It’s not too bad. Hopefully, he will be back for the next game,” Kelly said. He added that anything above 170 could be a strong total on the surface and backed his side’s batting depth to deliver.
Bangladesh Playing XI: Litton Das (c/wk), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Ripon Mondol
New Zealand Playing XI: Tim Robinson, Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver (wk), Nick Kelly (c), Bevon-John Jacobs, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Matthew Fisher, Ben Lister
