Bangladesh VS New Zealand 1st Cricket Match World test match Championship game of the new cycle

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BAN

(52.5 ov) 180/3

Day 1 - Session 2: Bangladesh chose to bat.

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1st Test, Sylhet, November 28 - December 02, 2023, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh

BAN Flag

BAN

(52.5 ov) 180/3

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NZ

Day 1 - Session 2: Bangladesh chose to bat.

CRR: 3.40

 • Min. Ov. Rem: 35.1

 • Last 10 ov (RR): 35/1 (3.50)

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PREVIEW

Bangladesh and New Zealand meet for their first World Test Championship game of the new cycle

Sylhet promises batting-friendly conditions as both teams shift focus to the longest format

Mohammad Isam

Mohammad Isam

27-Nov-2023 • 22 hrs ago

Bangladesh will look to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim to guide a young side through a tough series  •  BCB

Bangladesh will look to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim to guide a young side through a tough series • BCB

Big picture: New cycle brings new hope

The first Test match after the World Cup in India is taking place in Sylhet, which geographically, is not a million miles away, but certainly in terms of atmosphere, it is another world. New Zealand are playing their first Test in eight months, Bangladesh in five months. It is the kick-off point for the World Test Championship for both teams, so at the very least, points are at stake.

New Zealand were the defending champions in the last cycle, but they were nowhere near close to making the final. That might just have prompted them to be that little bit more switched on, resulting in bringing their best team on this tour after sending a second-string side for the ODIs that were played here in September. Everything was different then.

Kane Williamson will lead the batting unit alongside Tom Latham, Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls in the top four. Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, having totalled five centuries between them in the World Cup, will be brimming with confidence.

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Captain Tim Southee will lead a bowling attack that is likely to be spin-dominated. Ish Sodhi is in the mix - he took a six-for against Bangladesh this year, albeit in a different format. Mitchell Santner seems a good shout to play his first Test in over two years. Ajaz Patel is another major option for their selectors. Ravindra's all-round skills will be key, while Neil Wagner too could expect to bowl a lot if he is the second seamer with Southee.

Bangladesh have their own reasons to want to get on the field quickly. They had a poor World Cup campaign. The aftermath hasn't been great either and they go into this series without many of their key players. Captain Shakib Al Hasan and his deputy Litton Das are out. So are fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain. Apart from Litton who was given paternity leave, the rest are all injured. Bangladesh have had to rethink their bowling attack even as Shakib and Tamim Iqbal have left big holes in the batting line-up.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan are the likely openers, but a lot will depend on captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim. Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz will carry the inexperienced bowling attack. The picture ain't pretty for Bangladesh, but Sylhet could provide the sort of exit they want from the talk about the World Cup, which doesn't seem to end in Bangladesh.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWLLL (last five Tests, most recent first)

New Zealand WWWLD

In the spotlight: Mominul Haque and Rachin Ravindra

Usually Mominul Haque doesn't want to be in the spotlight. It was one of the reasons that he gave up the Test captaincy last year. His runs had dried up. Many felt it was because of his aversion to the limelight. Mominul, however, remains Bangladesh's Test batting mainstay. He will be expected to get back in the groove quickly even though he has stressed in the recent past that it isn't easy being a Test specialist playing this format after big gaps. Still, he was the highest run-getter in the recently-concluded National Cricket League first-class tournament so batting form may not be a big worry for the left-hander.

Tim Southee will be leading a full-strength New Zealand side in Bangladesh

Tim Southee will be leading a full-strength New Zealand side in Bangladesh•Getty Images

There will be a lot of interest in Rachin Ravindra after his World Cup bonanza. He finished as the fourth highest run-getter in the competition, including centuries against England, Australia and Pakistan. He is likely to have a different role in the Test series against Bangladesh, probably batting down the order and involved in a lot of bowling. He is already a changed cricketer, having been given the opportunity of a lifetime so early in his international career.

Team news: Extra spinners in both XIs

Nurul Hasan will take Litton's place behind the stumps, while Khaled Ahmed is likely to take Taskin's spot in the bowling unit. Nayeem Hasan is likely to be the third spinner if they choose a five-man attack.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Nurul Hasan (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Nayeem Hasan 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Khaled Ahmed

New Zealand have a spin puzzle to solve. Ravindra is likely to bat in the top six after a stellar World Cup campaign, but there could be a toss-up between Ajaz, Santner and Sodhi for two positions.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Rachin Ravindra, 7 Tom Blundell (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Ajaz Patel/Ish Sodhi, 11 Neil Wagner

Pitch and conditions: Sylhet is good for batting

Sylhet's reputation as the best batting ground in Bangladesh was strengthened by the five white-ball international matches held this year. It hasn't hosted a Test in five years but during this period, there have been six 400-plus scores in first-class matches at this venue. The weather is mostly dry, with the breeze coming down from the hillside often helping drop the temperature further.

IND vs AUS: भारत ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया को पहले टी20 में दो विकेट से हराया, सूर्यकुमार और ईशान किशन ने लगाया अर्धशतक

 AUS vs IND T20 2023: भारत और ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बीच पांच टी20 मैचों की सीरीज गुरुवार (23 नवंबर) को से शुरू हुई। दोनों टीमों के बीच पहला मुकाबला विशाखापट्टनम के डॉ. वाई.एस. राजशेखर रेड्डी एसीए-वीडीसीए क्रिकेट स्टेडियम में खेला गया। भारत के नए कप्तान सूर्यकुमार यादव ने टॉस जीतकर गेंदबाजी का फैसला किया। ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने 20 ओवर में तीन विकेट पर 208 रन बनाए। टीम इंडिया ने 19.5 ओवर में आठ विकेट पर 209 रन बनाकर मैच को जीत लिया। रिंकू सिंह ने आखिरी गेंद पर छक्का लगाया, लेकिन सीन एबॉट की गेंद नो-बॉल हो गई। ऐसे में रिंकू के खाते में छक्का नहीं जुड़ा।

IND vs AUS Live Score: रिंकू ने दिलाई भारत को जीत

भारत ने पांच टी20 मैचों की सीरीज में जीत के साथ शुरुआत की है। उसने विशाखापट्टनम में ऑस्ट्रेलिया को रोमांचक मुकाबले में दो विकेट से हरा दिया। ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ विश्व कप के फाइनल में मिली हार के बाद यह जीत प्रशंसकों को थोड़ी राहत पहुंचाएगी। टीम इंडिया सीरीज में 1-0 की बढ़त हासिल कर ली है। दूसरा मुकाबला रविवार (26 नवंबर) को तिरुवनंतपुरम के ग्रीनफील्ड इंटरनेशनल स्टेडियम में खेला जाएगा।

भारत के नए कप्तान सूर्यकुमार यादव ने टॉस जीतकर गेंदबाजी का फैसला किया। ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने 20 ओवर में तीन विकेट पर 208 रन बनाए। टीम इंडिया ने 19.5 ओवर में आठ विकेट पर 209 रन बनाकर मैच को जीत लिया। रिंकू सिंह ने आखिरी गेंद पर छक्का लगाया, लेकिन सीन एबॉट की गेंद नो-बॉल हो गई। ऐसे में रिंकू के खाते में छक्का नहीं जुड़ा।

India vs Australia 1st T20 | Highlights 23 November 2023

 India vs Australia 1st T20I Highlights: Josh Inglis smashed a 50-ball 110 and propelled Australia to a score of 208/3. Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to bowl in his first match as India captain. Australia have rested a number of their World Cup winners but Steve Smith has opened the batting and is off to a flying start. His scoring was eventually curtailed while opening partner Matthew Short fell to Ravi Bishnoi but Josh Inglis has since taken the game by the horns. He blasted a half-century in just 29 balls with Smith holding up the other end. The pair ended up putting 130 runs off just 66 balls for the second wicket, with Smith scoring just 36 off 23 in that. Smith eventually fell on 52 off 41 and Inglis then crossed his century in just 47 balls, equaling Aaron Finch's record for the fastest T20I century by an Australian.

India got off to a shaky start but they came roaring back thanks to Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan. The pair put up 112 runs in just 60 balls for the third wicket. Kishan fell for 58 off 39 but Suryakumar has soldiered on since then. Tilak Varma fell after a quickfire 12 and now, Rinku Singh has got off to a flying start. It came down to India needing seven to win off the last over. It looked like India would do it easy when Rinku hit the first ball for four. The batters ran a leg-bye second ball but Axar Patel was then dismissed, which suddenly made the game a thriller. India ended up requiring one run to win off the last ball with Rinku on strike. He hit it for a six but Sean Abbott had overstepped and so, only the one run that came due to the no-ball was counted. Rinku finished off on 22 off 14. Suryakumar had earlier scored 80 off 42. India surpassed their own record for highest successful T20I run chase and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Cricket World Cup 2023

 Cricket World Cup 2023.

Amid reports of Rohit Sharma making it clear about not playing T20Is, former India opener Gautam Gambhir said he would like to see both Rohit and Virat Kohli play the T20 World Cup slated to take place in the West Indies and the United States of America in June next year. Rohit led India to the final of the recently concluded ODI World Cup on the back of a record 10 victories on the trot. Although India faltered in the final, losing the match to eventual champions Australia, Rohit's selfless leadership stood out in what can be termed as one of India's most dominating outings in a World Cup.

India's Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma look dejected after losing the ICC Cricket World Cup final(REUTERS)

Rohit and Kohli have not featured in a T20I for India ever since the T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia in 2022. The dynamic duo decided to move away from the format so that selectors could inject new blood. In came Hardik Pandya. He has been India's unofficial T20I captain for about a year now. Unofficial because BCCI never made it official that Rohit won't feature in T20Is going ahead or that even if he does, Hardik will be the captain.

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But the way things were developing, it was more or less certain that Hardik has been given the charge to prepare for the T20 World Cup in 2024. But in between, the developments of ODI cricket once again brought both Rohit and Kohli into T20 discussion. Rohit led India to a dominating Asia Cup triumph and bulldozed every opposition in the World Cup before finally getting stopped by Australia.

Also Read | World Cup Report Card: Rohit, Kohli excellent; Shami outstanding; Surya poor

Apart from India's success, what also stood out was Rohit's fearless batting at the top of the order. He scored nearly 600 runs (597 to be precise) in World Cup 2023 at a strike rate of 125. That has never been done in World Cup history. So many runs at such a high strake is unheard of. It was as if Rohit it took it upon himself to be the sole reason for India's headstart in every World Cup match. In the process, he also got out in the 40s five times and twice in the 80s but that didn't stop the experienced cricketer. He continued to bat the same way till the final.

This incredible brand of cricket has made experts believe that Rohit is the ideal man to lead India's charge in the upcoming T20 World Cup, especially because it is barely six months away.

Also Read | Only 2 journalists in Surya's press conference, record low turnout stuns captain

Gambhir said there is no doubt about the fact that both Rohit and Kohli should be picked for the T20 World Cup and if they are, Rohit should be the captain and not Hardik. "They both need to get picked, both should be picked. More importantly, I want to see Rohit Sharma as captain in the T20 World Cup. Yes, Hardik has been captaining in T20Is but I would still want to see Rohit as captain in the World Cup. Don't pick Rohit Sharma only as a batter. Rohit is a phenomenal leader, he has proved that with his leadership and batting in this ODI World Cup. If you are picking Rohit, which you should then he should be selected as a captain who can bat. And Virat also should be an automatic choice," Gambhir told Sportskeeda.

‘Rohit and Kohli are main players of India’: Akram

Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram also had similar thoughts about the two legends of Indian cricket. "There are barely six months to go for the T20 World Cup. I will pick both Rohit and Kohli. They are the main players for the team. You need a bit of experience even in T20s, can't build a team with only youngsters," he said.

As things stand now, Rohit, Kohli and most of the other senior members of the World Cup squad have been given a break from the five-match T20I series against Australia starting Thursday. Only Suryaukuar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna and Ishan Kishan are the ones that will feature in the T20Is with Shreyas Iyer joining the squad after the third match.

Another crucial aspect that the selectors will keep a close eye on is the fitness of Hardik Pandya. The India all-rounder is injury prone and there are high chances that he will miss the entire South Africa tour. If the selectors think of him as India's captain for the T20 World Cup, then he will enter the team with almost no match-practice with the Indian team. Will they take such a big gamble?

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But the way things were developing, it was more or less certain that Hardik has been given the charge to prepare for the T20 World Cup in 2024. But in between, the developments of ODI cricket once again brought both Rohit and Kohli into T20 discussion. Rohit led India to a dominating Asia Cup triumph and bulldozed every opposition in the World Cup before finally getting stopped by Australia.

  

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