• Match: New Zealand vs Bangladesh, 1st T20I Match, Bangladesh tour of New Zealand 2023
• Date and Time: December 27, 06:10 am GMT / 11:40 am IST / 12:10 pm BD
• Venue: McLean Park, Napier

New Zealand: New Zealand will be eager to bounce back from their ODI loss with a swift T20I victory at the same venue in this upcoming match. With the return of key international players, they boast sufficient quality to seize a lead in the series.

Bangladesh: Despite not being the expected winners in the final ODI, Bangladesh secured a remarkable victory through exceptional bowling and composed batting, providing them with a surplus of confidence. While this is a fresh series and a different format, the team’s morale will have received a significant boost.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (Wicket-Keeper), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das (Wicket-Keeper), Towhid Hridoy, Tanzim Hasan, Afif Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman.

The unexpected win for Bangladesh in the final ODI has certainly sparked more interest in the opening game of the T20I series. However, expectations of Bangladesh continuing a winning streak in New Zealand might not materialize. The Black Caps have a history of promptly bouncing back from defeats across formats, and with key players returning, they pose a formidable challenge. Our prediction leans towards a New Zealand victory in this inaugural match of the series against Bangladesh.

Based on the pattern observed in the five T20Is in Napier, there have been two wins for the team batting first, two victories for the team fielding first, and a tie. Considering this trend, both teams might prefer setting a target by batting first if they win the toss, as both sides generally favor posting runs on the scoreboard early in the game.

While New Zealand managed to portray McLean Park’s pitch as a bowler’s haven recently, the reality is that while there’s some assistance for bowlers, the overall characteristics favor batting with decent pace and bounce. A competitive score on this pitch is estimated to be 160 or higher, indicating that it provides a good batting track despite offering something for the bowlers.

There might be early rain in Napier, but the forecast for Wednesday evening suggests cloudy and humid conditions, yet remaining dry throughout the evening, providing an outlook for uninterrupted play during the match.

• Venue: McLean Park
• City: Napier
• Capacity: 22,500
• Hosts to: Centennial Stand End, Embankment End
• Also Hosts: Rugby