NZ vs BAN, World Cup 2023: Focus on Williamson as start favourites vs Bangladesh; LIVE streaming and more

Boosted by the return of Kane Williamson, New Zealand will look to maintain their winning run in the 2023 ODI World Cup when they face a struggling Bangladesh in Chennai on Friday.

World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table

Williamson had sustained a knee injury during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and had been recovering from it. Although he did play both warm-up games against Pakistan and South Africa, Williamson was not declared fully fit to take part in New Zealand’s opening two matches.

The Kiwis (NRR: +1.958) have four points now, the same as India, Pakistan and South Africa. The Black Caps are currently second with four points, behind South Africa with the same points. South Africa had beaten Australia by 134 runs on Thursday.

India and Pakistan are third and fourth respectively.

The arrival of Williamson, who has sufficiently recovered from a post ACL injury surgery, benefits them on two counts.

Williamson is a shrewd captain who knows the ebb and flow of ODIs, and he is an excellent batter against spin, a quality that he might have to conjure against a capable Bangladesh unit on a slow Chepauk pitch.

“For me, it’s been quite a journey (since my injury). Excited to be back in the World Cup squad. I am looking forward to it,” said Willamson on Thursday during his pre-match press meet.

But the Black Caps will continue to miss the services of senior pacer Tim Southee, who is still recovering from a procedure on his fractured thumb that he suffered during the recent ODI series against England.

“Tim’s progressing well, but he won’t be playing tomorrow’s game,” said Williamson.

However, Williamson’s comeback will pose the Kiwis with a selection dilemma as well.

Rachin Ravindra, who batted at No. 3 in the absence of Williamson, has notched up a hundred and fifty in two World Cup outings, and the management will have to think hard as to who to be benched to accommodate the returning 33-year-old.

While keeping that minor headache for later, New Zealand will be pleased to see the form of their batters like Will Young, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell.

However, New Zealand will want every bit of runs from them as the MA Chidambaram track could offer another turner as it did in the match between India and Australia the previous Sunday.

In that match, the Indian spinners had taken six wickets and the tweakers could come into focus on Friday as well.

Despite a walloping at the hands of England in their last match, this could be Bangladesh’s secret point of joy going against the Kiwis.

Their spin trio of captain Shakib Al Hasan, Mahedi Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz has taken 11 wickets among them from two matches.

The Tigers will pin their hopes on those three to weave their magic on New Zealand to notch up a crucial victory.

However, New Zealand also will feel quietly confident about their chances on such kind of surface because of the presence of Mitchell Santner.

The left-arm spinner is currently the highest wicket-taker in this World Cup with seven wickets, including a fifer against the Netherlands.

Bangladesh will require senior batters like Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das and Najmul Shanto to rise to the occasion and counter Santner, a massive threat in white-ball formats with several tricks up his sleeve.

However, the Antipodeans will have an edge in the pace department as the likes of Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson have a lot more experience overall and in these conditions, courtesy their IPL stints.

New Zealand vs Bangladesh World Cup 2023 match date

The New Zealand vs Bangladesh Cricket World Cup match will be played on Friday, 13 October.

New Zealand vs Bangladesh World Cup 2023 match time

The New Zealand vs Bangladesh Cricket World Cup match will start at 2 PM IST. The toss will take place at 1.30 PM IST.

New Zealand vs Bangladesh World Cup 2023 match venue

The New Zealand vs Bangladesh Cricket World Cup match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

New Zealand vs Bangladesh World Cup 2023 match LIVE Streaming

The New Zealand vs Bangladesh Cricket World Cup match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network and live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.

New Zealand vs Bangladesh head-to-head

New Zealand and Bangladesh have met 41 times in ODIs. The Kiwis hold a favourable record, having won 30 of these matches while Bangladesh have won 10. One match ended in a no-result.

As far as ODI World Cups are concerned, New Zealand and Bangladesh have played five and the Black Caps have won all of the five games.

 Squads:

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

With inputs from PTI