NZ bats for Bangladesh tour
- New Zealand will begin a T20I series in Bangladesh on April 27, with the first match scheduled in Chattogram. - Bangladesh named a squad for the first two T20Is and gave all-rounder Abdul Gaffar Saqlain his maiden call-up. - The ICC preview notes Bangladesh plans a new-look pace attack for the early games against the Black Caps. ( )
Bangladesh have broken up their usual fast-bowling group for the opening Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand, starting on April 27 in Chattogram. (icc-cricket.com) The three-match Twenty20 international series begins at Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram on April 27, returns to the same ground on April 29, and ends in Mirpur on May 2. (espncricinfo.com) Bangladesh named a 15-man squad for the first two matches and handed pace-bowling all-rounder Abdul Gaffar Saqlain his first Twenty20 international call-up. Ripon Mondol also came into the group. (tribuneindia.com) The selectors left out Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana for those first two games, giving Bangladesh a different seam attack than the one it has used most often in recent white-ball series. (icc-cricket.com) That shift comes in a format where Bangladesh have leaned heavily on pace in recent years, especially with Taskin and Mustafizur handling the new ball and the late overs. The New Zealand series gives the team two matches to test other options before the final game in Dhaka. (icc-cricket.com) New Zealand arrive for the T20 leg after a three-match one-day international series in the same tour, which started on April 17 and ends with the third ODI in Chattogram on April 22. The full tour runs across Dhaka and Chattogram. (icc-cricket.com; espncricinfo.com) The Black Caps are also traveling with a changed group. Tom Latham is leading New Zealand’s T20 side in Bangladesh, with several regular white-ball names unavailable during the April-May window. (espncricinfo.com) For Bangladesh, the selection turns the first week of the T20 series into an audition. The first ball is scheduled for April 27, and the early matches will show whether this reshaped attack can hold its place against New Zealand. (espncricinfo.com; icc-cricket.com)
