Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first T20I of a three-match series against New Zealand at McLean Park, Napier on Wednesday.
Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain gets in to the Bangladesh side as all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz misses out. Bangladesh play with three pacers plus Soumya Sarkar alongside two spinners in Mahedi Hasan and Rishad.
Meanwhile, Tanzim Hasan Sakib has been handed his T20I debut while Soumya Sarkar has made his comeback on the back of a fantastic ODI series.
Hosts New Zealand are led by Mitchell Santner in the absence of regular captain Kane Williamson who has been rested. On the other hand, Najmul Hossain Shanto is making his T20I captaincy debut.
Apart from Santner, World Cup stars in Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham and Tim Southee are back in the team after being rested for the ODIs.
After a hard-fought ODI series that ended in favour of New Zealand with a 2-1 scoreline, Bangladesh are gearing up for redemption in the three-match T20I series.
Despite the setback in the ODIs, Bangladesh gained a significant morale boost by securing their maiden ODI victory on New Zealand soil in the last match, marking a historic achievement. The focus now shifts to the T20Is, where Bangladesh, led by dynamic captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, aim to turn the tables and showcase their prowess in the shortest format.
Playing XI's:
Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Rony Talukdar, Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Rishad Hossain
New Zealand: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears
SA
