Bangladesh vs New Zealand Prediction: Bangladesh are favourites on paper

Bangladesh and New Zealand are going head to head in the 2nd Match of the Test Series at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 06 Dec 2023. The Bengal Tigers won the first game of the series and have the opportunity to whitewash the Kiwis at home. Who will win this game of cricket?

Bangladesh entered the series opener without key players such as Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das. Despite not being favoured to win, they managed to come out on top and now have the opportunity to secure a series victory. In the first innings in Sylhet, all eight of Bangladesh's top batters reached double figures, but none were able to convert their good starts into centuries. Mahmudul Hasan Joy was the top scorer with 86 runs. It is important for the team to work on turning these good starts into bigger scores. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto played a heroic innings in the second innings, scoring a century. The standout performer with the ball for Bangladesh in the first Test was left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who took four wickets in the first innings and six in the second, earning him the player of the match award. It is likely that Bangladesh will field the same XI for the next match, meaning Shoriful Islam will have a significant role to play in the seam bowling department alongside the spinners. In the first Test, he bowled 19 overs and took two wickets.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam

New Zealand admitted early on that they were not up to par in the first match of the series. However, they have the opportunity to correct their mistakes in Mirpur. Experienced spinner Ish Sodhi strongly emphasizes the importance of learning from what Bangladesh did right in the previous match.

The performance of openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway was disappointing in the series opener. As expected, they had more difficulty facing spin rather than seam. Both Latham and Conway need to find ways to handle the challenges posed by Islam and other spinners from Bangladesh. This also applies to New Zealand's middle order.

In the previous match, New Zealand used three spinners: Sodhi, Patel, and Phillips. While they achieved some success individually and as a group, they were not able to consistently threaten Bangladesh's batsmen, who are skilled against spin. It will be interesting to see if fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, who has recently recovered from injury, will be included in the starting eleven for the second Test match. If chosen, he may either open the bowling with Tim Southee or come on as a first-change bowler, allowing a spinner to use the new ball.

Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (c), Ajaz Patel

In the last five Tests held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, the captain who won the toss chose to bat first three times. In these matches, Bangladesh scored totals of 310 and 338, while New Zealand scored 317 and 181. All 40 wickets were taken in these matches. The upcoming match in Mirpur is expected to have similar scores and wickets in sub-continental conditions. It is recommended for both teams to play two or even three specialist spinners. New Zealand's Sodhi has acknowledged the need to quickly adapt to the turning deck if they want to win. The weather forecast shows no rain leading up to the match, with clear skies expected throughout the five-day schedule. Hot, dry, and humid conditions are expected. With the confidence of their first-ever home Test win against New Zealand and the advantage of playing at home, Bangladesh is favoured to win this match. New Zealand's biggest challenge will likely be facing Bangladesh's spinners. We support New Zealand to win the game and level up the series.