NEW DELHI: A confident New Zealand team will be keen to secure their semifinal berth when they play Bangladesh, who will be battling for survival, in their Champions Trophy Group A match in Rawalpindi on Monday.
The Black Caps defeated the hosts Pakistan by 60 runs to get their campaign off to a commanding start. They had a good net run rate of 1.200 after this decisive win, which put them atop Group A. They will be within striking reach of a semifinal berth if they win on Monday.
In contrast, Bangladesh lost against India by six wickets and now sits third in the group with a net run rate of -0.408. To remain in the running for the knockout stage, they need to win.
Their recent tri-series victory has further assisted New Zealand in adjusting to the conditions in Pakistan, and they looked clinical in their opening game.
However, Rachin Ravindra's possible recovery from a head injury presents them with a selection conundrum.
Will Young and Devon Conway opened the innings in his place. Young was initially supposed to give way to Ravindra, but the right-hander's century against Pakistan has made things more difficult-in a good way.
Furthermore, Young has continuously shown that he can efficiently manage spin bowling. New Zealand's batting approach may depend on the left-hand-right-hand combo at the top, which would be disrupted if he were dropped.
Conway, meanwhile, seems to be getting back to his peak. New Zealand appears established and is unlikely to make any more changes to their starting XI aside from this selection call.
However, Bangladesh have a difficult battle ahead of them and need to get back together fast following their heartbreaking loss to India, their neighbors.
Given their batting difficulties in the last game, the focus will be on their top order to perform.
Bangladesh would have had difficulty reaching 100 if it weren't for Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridoy's 154-run sixth-wicket partnership.
The team led by Najmul Hossain Shanto started poorly even though they won a vital toss and were unable to build on their lead.
Although their bowlers did a good job, they did not have enough runs to defend.
To make matters worse, they lost out on important opportunities due to careless fielding, and if they want to compete with a top team like New Zealand, they will need to make major progress in that area.
However, Bangladesh can draw motivation from their Champions Trophy matchup with New Zealand, in which they eliminated the Black Caps.
To maintain their prospects of making it to the semifinals, they will be hoping for a similar upset.
Teams (from):
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy
Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid, Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana
