What we just witnessed in the first test of the Bangladesh vs New Zealand series was nothing short of a fairytale. The Underdogs from Asia beat New Zealand on their home turf for the first time in a Test, ending their 17-match unbeaten home record. Also, this is the first time Bangladesh has beaten New Zealand in any format in New Zealand. Moreover, one thing that stood out was how Bangladesh dominated New Zealand throughout the match. The Black-caps are feeling immense pressure after being down 1-0 in the two-match series. However, the Kiwis will be looking to shed off the rustiness and make a comeback as both the teams get ready to meet again for the 2nd test match of the series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. This test will also mark the farewell of legendary batsman Ross Taylor who earlier announced his retirement from international cricket.
Pitch and conditions
Date: 9-Jan-2022
Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Pitch Conditions: The wicket here at Hagley Oval will be having a generous amount of grass covering. Therefore, we can expect a low-scoring affair in this match as bowlers might dominate from day 1.
Weather Forecast: The temperature will range between 16-24 degrees Celcius. There will be a covering of clouds throughout the test match. Therefore, there may be some interruptions by rain in patches.
When, Where and How to watch
Date: 9-Jan-2022
Time: 3.30 a.m. IST, 11.00 a.m. local
Where: Live on Amazon Prime
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Bangladesh vs New Zealand Head-to-Head Record
| Total Matches | 16 |
| New Zealand Won | 12 |
| Bangladesh Won | 01 |
| Draw | 03 |
| Tie | 00 |
Top 3 highest runs scorer in Bangladesh vs New Zealand battle
| Rank | Name | Matches | Total Runs | Average | Best |
| 1 | Ross Taylor | 10 | 718 | 51.28 | 200 |
| 2 | Mominul Haque | 06 | 609 | 67.66 | 181 |
| 3 | Tom Latham | 05 | 482 | 68.85 | 177 |
Top 3 highest wicket-takers in Bangladesh vs New Zealand battle
| Rank | Name | Matches | Total Wickets | Average | Best |
| 1 | Neil Wagner | 06 | 36 | 20.02 | 5-for 45 |
| 2 | Trent Boult | 07 | 32 | 26.96 | 5-for 123 |
| 3 | Tim Southee | 06 | 25 | 34.20 | 5-for 94 |
Previous performances of both teams:
Team Bangladesh’s performance in the last three test matches
| Against | Date | Venue | Result | Team’s score | Opponent’s score | Most Runs | Most Wickets |
| New Zealand | 1-Jan-2022 | Mount Maunganui | Win | 458/10 & 42/2 | 328/10 & 169/10 | Devin Conway – 122 & 13 | Ebadot Hussain – 1/75 & 6/46 |
| Pakistan | 4-Dec-2021 | Mirpur | Loss | 87/10 & 205/10 | 300/4 dec | Shakib Al Hasan – 33 & 63 | Sajid Khan – 8/42 & 4/86 |
| Pakistan | 26-Nov-2021 | Chittagong | Loss | 330/10 &157/10 | 286/10 & 203/2 | Abid Ali – 133 & 91 | Taijul Islam – 7/116 & 1/89 |
Team New Zealand’s performance in the last three test matches
| Against | Date | Venue | Result | Team’s score | Opponent’s score | Most Runs | Most Wickets |
| Bangladesh | 1-Jan-2022 | Mount Maunganui | Loss | 328/10 & 169/10 | 458/10 & 42/2 | Devin Conway – 122 & 13 | Ebadot Hussain – 1/75 & 6/46 |
| India | 3-Dec-2021 | Mumbai | Loss | 62/10 & 167/10 | 325/10 & 276/7 | Mayank Agarwal – 150 & 62 | Ajaz Patel – 10/119 & 4/106 |
| India | 25-Nov-2021 | Kanpur | Draw | 296/10 & 165/9 | 345/10 & 234/7 | Shreyas Iyer 105 & 65 | Tim Southee 69/5 & 75/3 |
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Previous Meeting of Bangladesh vs New Zealand at Christchurch
In the previous meeting here at Hagley Oval in 2016/17, New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by 9 wickets. As a result of this victory, Kiwis won this series by 2-0.
Summary
Bangladesh 1st Innings: 289/10 ( Soumya Sarkar 86, Shakib Al Hasan 59, Tim Southee 5-94, Trent Boult 4-87)
New Zealand 1st Innings: 345/10 ( Henry Nicholls 98, Ross Taylor 77, Shakib Al Hasan 4-50)
Bangladesh 2nd Innings: 173/10 (Mahmudullah 38, Neil Wagner 3-52 Trent Boult 3-44)
New Zealand 2nd Innings: 111/1 ( Tom Latham 41*, Colin de Grandhomme 33*, Kamrul Islam 1-21)
Probable Playing XI
Bangladesh Probable XI: Shadman Islam, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain
New Zealand Probable XI: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra/Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Fantasy Dream XI Picks for Bangladesh vs New Zealand
Wicket-keeper: Tom Latham, Liton Das
Batters: Ross Taylor, Devon Conway, Najmul Hossain Shanto
All-rounders: Mominul Haque (VC), Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Bowlers: Ebadot Hussain, Kyle Jamieson(C), Trent Boult, Tim Southee
Captain: Kyle Jamieson
Vice Captain: Mominul Haque
Players to watch out for
After a dream spell in the first test match at Mount Maunganui, Ebadot Hossain has grabbed all the attention towards him. Therefore, it will be exciting to see what can he do at the green surface in Christchurch. This test will also mark the end to a brilliant career of Ross Taylor. We are sure he would not want to end his test match career with a series loss to Bangladesh. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if he will be able to turn things around in the second test and have a reasonable farewell to his career.
Additional Information
Broadcast Details: Starting on 9th Jan From 3.30 a.m. on Live on Amazon Prime
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & Wayne Knights
TV Umpire: Chris Brown
Reserve Umpire: Shaun Haig
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe
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Some Interesting stats
1. New Zealand has lost just one match out of eight played here at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Their last defeat came against Australia in 2016.
2. The duo of Southee and Boult enjoy a great record at this ground. They have taken 39 and 48 wickets respectively on this ground in just 8 matches.
3. Henry Nicholls has scored 489 in Seven matches at the Hagley Oval with an average of 54.33 per innings. In addition to this, he has also scored 2 centuries at this venue.
Records that can be broken in this match
1. Trent Boult needs just 4 wickets to reach the landmark of 300 Test match wickets. He will become the 4th New Zealand bowler to achieve this feat.
2. It may be a far-fetched one looking at the surface at Hagley Oval, but still, Mushfiqur Rahim has the chance to become the first-ever Bangladeshi Batsman to cross the 5000 run mark in Test cricket. He currently has 4,873 runs in test match cricket. Also, he needs just 38 runs to become the highest run-getter for Bangladesh in away Tests.
3. Neil Wagner needs two wickets to go past Chris Martin and become the fifth-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in Tests.
4. Bangladesh can win its first-ever series against New Zealand in any format by a win/draw in this match. In addition to this, they will also become the first Asian team to win a series in New Zealand in the last 11 years.
5. Ross Taylor needs three catches to complete 350 catches in international cricket. Similarly, Southee also needs four to reach 150 catches.
Conclusion – Writer’s Opinion
The World Test Champions just got a reality check from Bangladesh in the First Test. Having already lost the chance to win the series, they will be looking to make amends in the second test. The quartet of Southee, Jamieson, Boult, and Wagner will play a key role in this match. In the batting department, senior batsmen Tom Latham and Ross Taylor will need to step up and lead from the front. On the other hand, Bangladesh will be high on confidence with their win in the first test match. Although they will miss the services of Mahmudul Hasan Joy due to a finger injury. However, the home team might still be able to mount a comeback despite losing earlier this week at the Bay Oval.
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