BCB announces the schedule for the upcoming 5-match T20I series against New Zealand
Bangladesh recently achieved a resounding series victory against the Australian team by a 4-1 margin. It was the first-ever series win across formats for Bangladesh against Australia.
On the back of a historic series win, Bangladesh will now host the New Zealand side for five T20I matches between September 1 and September 10.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken to its official Twitter handle to announce the itinerary for the upcoming series on Sunday.
Here is the schedule for the five-match series between Bangladesh and New Zealand:
1st T20I - September 1 (Wednesday) | Venue - Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka | Start time - 06:00 PM (LOCAL), 5:30 PM (IST)
2nd T20I - September 3 (Friday) | Venue - Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka | Start time - 06:00 PM (LOCAL), 5:30 PM (IST)
3rd T20I - September 5 (Sunday) | Venue - Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka | Start time - 06:00 PM (LOCAL), 5:30 PM (IST)
4th T20I - September 8 (Wednesday) | Venue - Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka | Start time - 06:00 PM (LOCAL), 5:30 PM (IST)
5th T20I - September 10 (Friday) | Venue - Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka | Start time - 06:00 PM (LOCAL), 5:30 PM (IST)
If there is a 'better wicket' in the New Zealand series, then I will try to play big innings: Shakib Al Hasan
The pitches used during the Australian series were highly conducive to spin bowling as all the batters from both sides struggled to score runs throughout the series.
In a conversation with Daily Samakal recently, Shakib Al Hasan revealed that if better pitches are available in the series against New Zealand, he will try to play match-defining knocks for his side.
He believes it will help him get back into form before the upcoming World Cup in UAE and Oman.
"I feel playing one or two big innings will bring me back into my groove. There was no scope to score big against Australia due to the nature of the wicket and so it would not be wise to count those five matches. There were opportunities in Zimbabwe that I could not take. If there is a 'better wicket' in the New Zealand series, then I will try to play big innings," said Shakib Al Hasan.
Squads of Bangladesh and New Zealand for the upcoming series
Bangladesh Squad: Mahmudullah Riyad (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Afif Hossain, Naim Sheikh, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Nasum Ahmed, and Taijul Islam
New Zealand Squad: Tom Latham (c), Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Scott Kuggeleijn, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Blair Tickner, Will Young, Ben Sears