New Zealand vs Bangladesh Prediction: New Zealand can whitewash Bangladesh

New Zealand and Bangladesh are going head to head in the 3rd Match of One Day Series at Mclean Park, New Zealand on 22 Dec 2023. New Zealand can whitewash Bangladesh in the game. Who will win this game of cricket?

In the second ODI, New Zealand displayed strong batting dominance, but they recognize the need for an improved performance in bowling. Despite allowing Bangladesh to score 291 all out, New Zealand successfully reached the target of 292 runs with 22 deliveries remaining. Notable contributions came from Will Young with 89, Rachin Ravindra with 45, and Henry Nicholls with 95. Tom Latham's unbeaten 34 and Tom Blundell's unbeaten 24 added the final touches. It is worth noting that New Zealand achieved a significant batting performance even without key players Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. William O'Rourke and Jacob Duffy excelled with three wickets each in the second ODI, highlighting their strong individual form and ability to work well as a team alongside Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry. New Zealand considers this match as an important opportunity to establish a precedent before the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. While there may be some adjustments to the playing XI, the team's primary objective remains the same: to secure a comfortable victory.

Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, William ORourke

Bangladesh is not treating this match as inconsequential despite already losing the series. Their main goal is to achieve their first-ever ODI victory against New Zealand in New Zealand, which would be a significant accomplishment. Additionally, a victory in this match would give them a competitive advantage heading into the T20I series with the Kiwis. Bangladesh has a proven track record of winning matches in foreign conditions, and they see this game as another opportunity to do so.

Soumya Sarkar was exceptional in the previous match, earning the player of the match award even though Bangladesh was defeated. Sarkar scored a magnificent century, hitting 22 fours and two sixes on his way to making 169 runs from 151 deliveries. In the upcoming match, the team will be looking for more support from their other batsmen.

Anamul Haque, Litton Das, and other Bangladesh batsmen struggled in the previous match in Nelson and will face similar conditions in Napier. It will be crucial for them to handle the swing and seam produced by Duffy and O'Rourke, as their performance will be vital to Bangladesh's batting performance.

Hasan Mahmud was the standout bowler for Bangladesh in the second ODI, taking two wickets. However, he was expensive, so he needs to find a better balance in his performance this time. Mahmud is a promising fast bowler and adds a valuable dimension to Bangladesh's bowling attack, which is predominantly spin-based.

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das, Anamul Haque, Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam

The team batting first has won four out of the last five ODIs at McLean Park in Napier. In three of those five matches, the captain who won the toss chose to bat first. It is likely that the captain who wins the toss this time will also choose to bat first.

In the last three ODIs at this venue, the first-innings scores have been 232, 157, and 175. A competitive first-innings score this time could be 250 or more.

Although McLean Park has short square boundaries, a balanced pitch can make up for the distance to the ropes in the battle between bat and ball. Therefore, both teams may consider playing two specialist spinners. Bangladesh is likely to employ this tactic. There is no rain predicted in Napier on matchday, so we can expect a full fixture.

Even if New Zealand rotates their squad and changes their playing eleven, they are expected to win this match. They have a wealth of experience in ODI cricket at home and will be familiar with the conditions at McLean Park, unlike Bangladesh. Betting on the Black Caps to win as favourites could be a good option. Bangladesh is going as underdogs, so these odds may provide good value.