World Cup 2019, Match 9, New Zealand vs Bangladesh Match Prediction: Who will win today's match?
The Black Caps take on a resurgent Bangladesh side at the Oval, London on June 5th at 6:00 pm IST in the 9th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Bangladesh come off a highly morale-boosting performance which saw them upstage the Proteas after scoring a record high total of 330/8. New Zealand, meanwhile strolled to victory over Sri Lanka with both their bowling attack and their openers coming good in the match.
Both these sides have clashed 4 times in World Cup history and the Tigers have lost to the Black Caps on all 4 of those occasions.
This is a key battle for both these sides to bring their form well into the tournament and stamp their authority over the league standings. Both the sides have a lot of match-winners who have fired in sync up till now.
So with a cloudy Oval awaiting them on Wednesday, let's take a look at who has the edge ahead of the fixture.
If New Zealand bat first
New Zealand can go really big if they bat the way they did against Sri Lanka as the surface at the Oval is highly pro-batsman despite the overcast conditions. With their main batsmen hardly getting any time out in the middle, they'll be raring to go and bat first if they win the toss thereby putting pressure on a Bangladesh side who have shown that they can handle dangerous bowling attacks.
With the firepower in their side, a score of 350-370 can be expected and their bowlers might very well close it out with ease.
If Bangladesh bat first
Bangladesh have a better read of the conditions and the playing surface as they beat South Africa on the same wicket couple of days ago. With a dynamic batting order who are firing pretty well, Bangladesh can hold their own against the strong Kiwi bowling attack. They have played smart, sensible cricket during the middle overs and have looked pretty aggressive up top.
They have shown that they can defend totals very well and if they can make about 300-320 runs on this wicket, another upset is on the cards.
Who will win?
While Bangladesh have looked really dangerous as an opponent especially after their win over South Africa, New Zealand have way too much firepower for them and are in much better form and sync than the downbeat, injury-ridden Proteas they played against. While taking no credit away from them, New Zealand can be backed to win this one quite comfortably.
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