Toss Bangladesh opt to bowl vs New Zealand
New Zealand went in with the same XI with four right-hand batters up top, followed by a trio of left-hand batters from Nos. 5 to 7. Their bowling attack has three pacers, two spinners, and various spin-and-pace part-timers to complement the attack. There was no place for Rachin Ravindra.
The weather in Mount Maunganui has been erratic all day. There have been spells of rain in the morning and the afternoon, but the clouds cleared up before warm-up time. However, there could be further interruptions in the evening. The pitch has been described as a “balanced” surface offering enough for both batters and bowlers to keep them interested.
The second T20I today and the third T20I on the morning of December 31 are New Zealand and Bangladesh’s last two games of the calendar year. They will both be played in Mt Maunganui with the hosts aiming to launch a come-from-behind series win after going 1-0 down in Napier.
New Zealand XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (capt), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears.
Bangladesh XI: Rony Talukdar (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman.