ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 9: BAN vs NZ – New Zealand Predicted Playing XI

A win for New Zealand in their first game against Sri Lanka seemed a certainty. But, the Kiwis would not have expected for the victory to come their way that easily. It seemed they were on an auto-cruise mode and didn’t take too long to complete the formalities. The team first bundled the opposition out for a paltry score. Then, this target was chased down with 10 wickets left and plenty of balls to spare.

Thus, their first win of the tournament sky-rocketed their NRR up to +5.754. However, a win in their next encounter might not come as easily. Bangladesh has brought up some inspirational performance in the last outing against South Africa and will look to repeat the heroics. Thus, the Kiwis will have to be on the top of their game if they are to get a consecutive win under their belt.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI of New Zealand

Openers (Martin Guptill, Colin Munro)

Martin Guptill and Colin Munro did all by themselves in the last game and left nothing for the others. The way they complemented each other was a delight to the eye. The 32-year-old right-hander was the aggressor in this partnership and took the bowlers to the cleaners. He scored 73 runs and showed that he is in great form.

However, he will be tested by the Bangladesh spinners early on in the upcoming game. It would be interesting to see how he copes up with this challenge. Colin Munro, on the other hand, was more than happy to play the second fiddle and repaid the faith the management had in him. However, he’s only started and there is still a long way to go. Munro should continue with the same kind of form and be watchful of his aggressive instinct.

Middle Order (Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk))

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will bat at number three. In his last five ODI outings, the New Zealand skipper struggled slightly. Despite scoring one half-century, he could only get 154 runs in total in these games. Moreover, his strike rate has also taken a serious dip and stands at just 62 in these matches. There is a huge scope of improvement for him as he heads into the next encounter.

Ross Taylor and Tom Latham will be tow other important members in the New Zealand middle order. The former, in the last four years, has been highly consistent often getting big scores and scoring his runs at a fair clip. Latham has also performed well. Since that he got competition in the form of Tom Blundell now, the left-hander should look to perform better. In case the side loses one or two quick wickets, this duo will be the key.

All Rounders (James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner)

The Kiwi all-rounders weren’t tested with the bat in the last game. But all of them did well with the ball in hand. Each of these players picked up one wicket each and hit good areas. In case the Bangladesh batsmen do well against Trent Boult and Matt Henry, this troika will have a lot of work to do in the middle overs.

They also add great depth to the batting line-up. All three of them are aggressive batsmen and clear the fence with ease. James Neesham and Santner, being left-handers, add variety to this batting attack. They will all take up the role of the finisher in this side.

Bowlers (Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult)

Both Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson were terrific in the last outing. They consistently bowled quick and attacked the Sri Lankan batsmen with tight lines and lengths. Thus, run-making wasn’t easy and the opposition found it touch. Both of them picked three wickets each and will have to do the same against Bangladesh as well. They’ve got to test the technique of the batsmen with some good pace and dangerous bouncers.

Trent Boult, on the other hand, is slightly different. He will look the swing the new ball both the ways. He poses a different set of questions to the batsmen and keeps the intensity maintained. Boult is usually good against the left-handers and should enjoy bowling to the top-three batsmen in the opposition.