Hosts New Zealand take on Bangladesh in the third and final match of the T20 series at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday evening.

New Zealand registered yet another series win as they won the second T20I by a comfortable margin. They will look to end their home season with a win before their players head out to play in the Indian T20 League. 

Batting first, New Zealand had a good start with 55 runs in the Power Play but the fall of two wickets on two consecutive deliveries put them on the back foot. G Philips first rebuilt the innings and then finished the innings on a strong note with D Mitchell as they finished with 174 runs in 17.4 overs. Each of the pacers picked up 2 wickets, while G Philips chipped in with a wicket in the middle overs. T Astle and L Ferguson might replace H Bennett and I Sodhi in this game with the series already won.  

Bangladesh’s batting unit put on a brave fight in the match, with S Sarkar scoring a quick-fire fifty in the game. M Naim and Mahmudullah looked good in the middle but the rest of the batting line-up did not contribute much. N Ahmed and S Islam were economical, with combined figures of 7-0-41-1 in the game. All the other bowlers went for runs at over 10 runs per over, giving easy runs in the middle overs.

The hosts have been hugely untested and will be eager to complete a clean sweep of the visitors with a win in the last game. Expect an entertaining final game of the tour at Eden Park in Auckland.

Match Details

• Match: New Zealand vs. Bangladesh, 3rd T20
• Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
• Date & Time: Apr. 1, 2021, at 11:30 AM IST

Probable Playing XI

New Zealand

M Guptill, F Allen, D Conway (WK), W Young, G Phillips, M Chapman, D Mitchell, T Southee (C), L Ferguson, A Milne, T Astle

Bangladesh

L Das (WK), M Naim, S Sarkar, M Mithun, Mahmudullah (C), A Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, M Saifuddin, T Ahmed, S Islam, N Ahmed

Weather and Pitch Report

The weather in Auckland is going to be cloudy, with the temperature expected to be around 17 degrees during the game. Rain might interrupt the match.

The pitch at Eden Park is going to be fast and bouncy. There are a lot of runs on offer as the ground has very small boundaries. However, pace bowlers should get some extra bounce and movement with the new ball. There will not be much help for the spinners. The average score in the last five T20I games played here has been 162 runs. 

The last games played here have been won by the chasing teams. So expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. A first innings score of around 180 runs should be a challenging target.

Key Players

• M Guptill has had an average tour so far by his standards, with 140 runs at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 120 in the five matches. He scored several 20s and 30s but is yet to make a half century. He will look to play a big knock in this final game of the tour.
• F Allen showed a few highlights of what he is capable of in the last match, scoring 17 runs off 10 deliveries with 2 fours and a six. It is just a matter of time before he makes a big score on the international stage.
• L Ferguson enjoys bowling at Eden Park, arguably the fastest pitch in New Zealand. He was rested in the last game and will be ready to go full throttle in this match. He took his career-best 5/21 in the last time he played here against the West Indies.
• M Naim has got decent starts, with scores of 37 and 28 in the first two games of the series. He shared an 81-run partnership with S Sarkar, putting his team in a good position in the chase in the last game. In his eight T20I matches, he has made 284 runs at an average of 35.5.
• Mahmudullah’s form on this tour has been disappointing, though he has a lot of experience. He had good starts in all the 5 innings but could convert only one into a big score, a 76-run innings in the 3rd ODI. He will look to end the series and the tour on a high.
• Mahedi Hasan has had bowling figures of 1/37 and 2/45 in the previous two games in the series. Although he has not been the team’s most economical bowler of the series, he has picked up important wickets and troubled New Zealand’s batsmen.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: F Allen 
• Batsmen: W Young, M Guptill, G Phillips, M Naim, Mahmudullah 
• All-rounders: Mahedi Hasan, T Astle
• Bowlers: A Milne, L Ferguson, T Ahmed

• Captain: L Ferguson/A Milne
• Vice Captain: F Allen/M Guptill

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!